GUNNEL NYMAN (FINNISH 1909-1948) FOR NUTTAJÄRVI NOTSJÖ
'CHIFFON' VASE
Estimate: £300 - £500
Auction: Modern Made Day 2 - Lots 124 to 456 - Friday 02 May at 10:30
Description
signed G. Nyman Nuutajärvi Notsjö, clear glass with a twisted shape over a controlled bubble core
Dimensions
15.2cm high (6in high)
Provenance
Private Collection, U.K.
Footnote
Gunnel Nyman (1909–1948) 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 discoloring 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. Edward Hald praised Nyman’s innovative process in Form magazine, stating, "It is in the still malleable glowing glass that she works on an idea and lures forth tones and innumerable opposing effects by twisting the glass with bubbles or a special smoke technique, which she is the only one to apply for artistic purposes."
This distinctive technique is evident in works such as The Bridal Veil (1947) and Chiffon (1947).