Orrefors Glass

7" High Orrefors Vase: Edvin Öhrström's "Graal" with Portraits of a Man & Woman, 1941 is offered at FreeFormUsa.com at $18,500

Have you ever assumed you knew something, only to later discover how mistaken you were? This doesn't happen to me often but it has happened in the last few months. I figured that I was somewhat knowledgeable on most good glass produced in the last hundred years, however, this proved to be false. Orrefors was a name I was familiar with but had always thought it was too contemporary for me. How wrong I was.

The Orrefors Company was founded in 1898 in the province of Samaaland Sweden. It was fortunate to have some of the best glass masters to be found anywhere, and they produced marvelous bowls and vases. Some of the best known artists to work at the Orrefors Company were Edvard Hald, Vicke Lindstrand, and Nils Landberg. There never has been finer glass workers than these artists, and most of the finer pieces are signed “Orrefors” along with the name of the artist or his initials.

I don't have a current book on Orrefors, but after writing this Blog, you can be assured that I will order The Best of Modern Swedish Art Glass: Orrefors and Kosta 1930-1970. This book has a price guide, too.

I did find some information on the company in my book by Victor Arwas, Glass Art Nouveau to Art Deco, and this proved helpful. You must be asking yourself why this particular company caught my eye. The easy and quick answer to this question is the price that Orrefors’ better pieces bring in the market place. This is just the kind of item that we’re searching for. The ones that few people know much about. And, when you find the right piece, the rewards can be quite substantial.

Here are just a few of the prices from Kovels Price Guide to give you a little taste of what's out there. Vicke Lindstrand did a vase featuring a shark killer, depicting a nude man diving, carrying a knife. This 12 ½ inch tall vase could have a value approaching $15,000 or more. Other Orrefors vases, one depicting a Pearl Diver, as well as one of an Oriental Princess both list at over $4,000. This isn't bad considering they both are only 8 inches tall.

Orrefors still produces glass today, and that is where I got confused. The modern pieces bring very little money, usually. These aren’t the pieces we’re searching for. You should definitely do your homework on this fantastic glass.

I learned a very valuable lesson with regard to Orrefors. Never judge all things about a particular subject with the limited knowledge that you’ve gained until you have done a complete study of it. I broke this rule. You see, I have seen hundreds, if not thousands of pieces of Orrefors. Usually it has been extremely inexpensive, so I assumed all Orrefors pieces were inexpensive. Boy, what a mistake I’ve been making. But, for me, the worst thing is considering how much money I might have walked away from. I’ll not be making that mistake again.

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Links for Other Recommended Glass Books:

Orrefors: A Century of Swedish Glassmaking

Miller's 20th-Century Glass: Over 2000 Items - Identified - Valued

Miller's Art Glass: How to Compare & Value