The road to Orrefors winds through deep forests of spruce
that open suddenly on darkly glistening lakes, and meadows and farmhouses set
behind stonewalls. Here are the elements that gave rise to glassblowing, and
which are reflected today in the finished glass; the ripples across the water,
the sunbeams that penetrate the tall, dense stands of spruce, and the
crystal-clear air. It is hardly surprising that the glass created here is
beloved around the world.
The Swedish glass industry was born about 250 years ago,
not far from Orrefors. In the summer of 1742 the first glassworks, warehouse,
potash furnace and smithy were inaugurated in which is now the small village of
Kosta.
Hand-blown glass has thus been produced in this part of
Sweden for more than two and a half centuries. The story of Orrefors begins with
Iron and the forest. As early as 1726, Lars Johan Silversparre received
permission to build a furnace and a smithy at "the beautiful river that flows
into Lake Orrenas". The iron works was given the name Orrefors, which means "the
Orre waterfall".
Production at Orrefors became significant in the
1910's when Johan Ekman of Gothenburg, who realized the importance of design,
acquired the glassworks. A number of proficient glass artisans were recruited.
Ekman wanted to place production on a more artistic basis, and in 1916 he,
therefore, engaged the
services
of Simon Gate, the portrait and landscape painter. The artist Edward Hald
arrived in the following year. This laid the foundation for a vital tradition of
Orrefors, in the form of close cooperation between skilled glassblowers and
gifted designers.
Orrefors international breakthrough came at the Paris
Exhibition of 1925. From the Hotel de Ville, the Town Hall of Paris, the
Swedish pavilion borrowed a magnificent glass goblet designed by Simon Gate that
had been presented as a gift to the City of Paris from the City of Stockholm in
1922. The goblet became a sensation, and the prestigious Grand Prix award
was given to Orrefors and its designers. The glassblowers and engravers received
gold medals. Many of the imposing glass objects from Orrefors were created for
special occasions, or to special order.
Simon Gate and Edward Hald created the first modern
art glass, and initiated an era that continues today. Orrefors participated
in the New York World Fair in 1939 and launched the concept of Swedish Modern.
The exhibition was a major success for modern Orrefors glass -- colorful,
vigorous and exotic. In addition, many of their productions are now living
classics, partly because the truly beautiful always survives, but also because
techniques based on skill and experience never become outdated.
Throughout the 20th Century, Swedish art glass has
been admired and treasured by a broad public, both in Sweden and
internationally. Today, all of the Orrefors designers participate in producing
art glass. The Orrefors designers are: Lars Hellsten, Jan Johansson, Helen
Krantz, Erika Lagerbielke, Anne Nilsson, Lena Bergstrom, Martti Rytkonen and Per
Sundberg.
