Orkidea vase, 1953
Iittala, Finland

Designer
Timo Sarpaneva

Material
Hand blown glass

Dimensions
W 9 cm, H 27.5 cm

The two Iittala artists Tapio Wirkkala and Timo Sarpaneva have a lot in common, not only in competing as talented and expert exhibition designers and draftsmen but also in their glassware. But there is an obvious and important difference: while Wirkkala's work shows intuitive natural force, Sarpaneva's gives more considered and intellectual impression. His undoubtedly best work, his tall, lancet-like, plain vases - such his Orkidea vase of 1953 - has a cold clarity like the logic of a mathematical equation or the beauty of a mathematical curve.

This may not sound encouraging, but it is not intended as derogatory; the form is certainly not dead - on the contrary, it is intensely alive and changes with each fresh viewpoint, just as a curved lens mirrors the surroundings and breaks them up into ever different pictures as one turns it around.

Sarpaneva's Orkidea vase, in its purity, restraint, and consciousness of the material, is among the most outstanding products of Finnish design. This vase dates from 1953 and is typical in its economy of line. It was first exhibited at the 1954 Triennale di Milano, where it was awarded the Grand Prix for outstanding design. Also awarded "Most Beautiful Object of the Year" by House Beautiful magazine in 1954.