Orchid thumbnail 1
Orchid thumbnail 2
On display
Image of Gallery in South Kensington

Orchid

Sculpture
1954 (made)
Artist/Maker
Iittala Glassworks (manufacturer)
Sarpaneva, Timo (designer)
Place of origin
Finland (made)

Sculpture, Finland, designed by Timo Sarpaneva, for Iittala glassworks, 1954

Object details

Category
Glass
Object type
Sculpture
Titles
  • Orchid (manufacturer's title)
  • Orkidea (manufacturer's title)
Materials and techniques
Mould-blown glass
Brief description
Sculpture, Finland, designed by Timo Sarpaneva, for Iittala glassworks, 1954
Dimensions
  • Height: 38.0cm
Style
20TH CONT
Marks and inscriptions
Incised 'TIMO SARPANEVA - IITTALA' (Makers's mark)
Gallery label
Timo Sarpaneva (b.1926) joined Iittala in 1950. His designs for glass include some of the major 'classics' of their time. He was also responsible for the popular 'Festivo' series of candlesticks and for the red 'i' symbol, the Iittala logo. Orkidea was voted 'the most significant object of the year' by the American magazine House Beautiful in 1954. Conceived as sculpture, the inner space and even the display of an orchid in no way makes this work a conventional vase. Orkidea was included in Sarpaneva's contribution to the Finnish section in the Milan Triennale, 1954, for which he was awarded a grand prix. The design was made in at least four different sizes; this example is the largest.
Bibliographic reference
Opie, J: 'Scandinavia: Ceramics and Glass of the 20th Century', V&A Museum (1987), cat. 207
Other number
9628 - Glass gallery number
Collection
Ceramics Collection
Accession number
CIRC.459-1954

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Record createdDecember 13, 1997
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O6868/orchid-sculpture-sarpaneva-timo/
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