Erik Höglund Swedish Bubbled Glass Vase

A small Swedish vase in clear and black glass with hand-blown bubbles inside, designed by Erik Höglund in 1960 for Kosta Boda Sweden. The vase has a unique shape, typical of Erik Höglund’s designs, and an iridescent shimmer of glass. 

Erik Höglund (1932–1998) was one of the brightest stars of 20th-century Swedish glass design. During his years at the Boda glassworks and onwards, he challenged long-standing design conventions with new ideas about shapes, colors, and expressions. “I am constantly searching for a primordial simplicity in the shape and color of the glass.” Erik Höglund developed his own distinctive style in the 1950s. The shapes were simple and primordial, often inspired by primitive culture and folksy glass art.

The objects were heavy and rustic, without sharp edges or flat surfaces. The glass often took human and sculptural shapes. Erik used colored glass that was widely enhanced against the light. Air bubbles were present in the glass mass, sometimes induced by the production. He often stamped seals in the glass portraying faces, bulls, and other symbols. His artistic expression was one of conscious non-perfectionism. Therefore, Erik stood apart from the extremely successful Swedish glass art from the first part of the 20th century.