Gunnel Nyman was a pioneering glass designer who worked from the early 1930s until her untimely death at just 39 years old.
Her contributions to the art of glass design played a crucial role in establishing the global reputation of Finnish art glass. The sculptural forms and the thick glass’s plasticity that defined Finnish glass in the 1950s were directly influenced by Nyman’s innovative approach.
Nyman was captivated by the transformation of glass from liquid to solid, particularly in capturing that precise moment of change. In 1947, she created a series of crystal dishes with irregular shapes. Among them, the eggshell dish - a free-blown crystal encased in opal, with one side thin and the other thick - exemplifies her work from this period. The precise, rounded edge of the dish, along with her combination of opaline and clear crystal, evoked the delicate translucency of an eggshell.
In the same year, during a blowing session, a layer of smoke unintentionally became trapped between the glass, slightly discolouring the piece. Nyman was intrigued by the result and developed this by chance into a new technique, later known as "The Bridal Veil." This method, along with others, became a hallmark of her work.
