This ONE-OFF Kosta Boda Art Glass piece is being sold from NORTH BRISBANE for AU $985 (currently about USD $730- please use Google for the current exchange rate). This piece can be posted INTERNATIONALLY at cost price PLUS $3 for professional packing using clean, recycled packing materials. We pick-up clean, used packing materials from an electrical retail store before it ends up as landfill… iNVISeDGE Admin staff- please inform Michael when this piece sells before packing!
Description and Provenance
(Description Written in 2021)
A LARGE UNIQUE iridescent glass piece created by Bertil Vallien for Kosta in the early-1970’s. This vintage piece is signed to the base, KOSTA UNIK 5071 B VALLIEN. The word, the Swedish word, “Unik”, translates to be “unique” in English. Vallien did a series of unique bowls with mythological creatures and dream-like quality in the very early-1970’s.
Vallien’s unique pieces are very rarely seen and make one of the strongest investments in art glass you can make. I’ve scoured the world online for some time and could only find one other bowl from this series for sale at the moment. It’s on 1stdibs and is currently ON HOLD (so most likely sold) for AU $2055. The price of mine is a mere fraction of this making this a no-brainer investment. Vallien didn’t do a lot of unik / unique pieces. This piece has a high degree of complexity and creativity- I doubt you’ll come across anything like it in Australia again.
I love the whimsical essence of this one- it’s almost like being in a dream. The rustic shape and bold iridescence adds to the intrigue. This piece is frosted and part of the interior also has a cross-hatched texture. The mythological “man” who has attracted a bird at least of big as him is captivating- I find myself imagining what Vallien is communicating here. The man and bird has been created with the cameo technique. This has been achieved by putting an additional layer of dark glass to part of the interior of the bowl and scratching the additional layer back until the man and bird remain. This would have been incredibly difficult to achieve given that the engraving occurred on the inside of the bowl. The cameo effect is very effective- the rest of the decoration is wispy and has an ethereal quality. The man and bird have sharp edges and distinct shapes adding an interesting contrast.
Bertil Vallien is one of the most successful glass artists the world has seen (past or present)- some of his one-off pieces command AU $20,000 and more. The value of his work will be well worth watching in coming years because he’s now over 80 years old (written in 2021). He tends to create the occasional one-off studio piece these days (worth on average AU $12,000). Kosta Boda is one of the leading glasshouses in the world and has etched a place for itself in art-glass history that will never be shaken. This unik / unique piece is vintage (and is one of the first unique glass pieces he ever created). Vallien designed hundreds of highly successful lines for Kosta / Boda over the years.
If you believe art-glass should be done by the hands (and hearts) of people then don’t give this work to machines! Every time we buy a décor piece that’s been mass-produced by machines we’re saying that hand-made art need not be valued anymore. There are plenty of artists out there bursting to create for us. By valuing HAND-MADE art you’re not only investing wisely in your home (items like this usually only INCREASE in value over time), you’re also reducing your carbon footprint (and landfill) PLUS you’re supporting the idea that there is a place for art and creation in this world.
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This unique piece is in excellent condition for its age with NO noticeable condition flaws to report at all. NO chips, NO cracks, NO repairs. There are no noticeable signs of use at all. The base marking is clear and distinct. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Measurements. Height- 15.5cm. Across- 16.5cm. Weight- 1436 grams. This is a substantial piece. Read my 1200+ feedback comments (ALL for vintage furniture / design SALES). This is your guarantee that I strive to describe all my items as accurately as I can and I will not stock items unless they are in excellent condition.
PICK-UP . . . from 30 or 40 minutes North of BRISBANE city is accepted but postage is preferred as my home is hard to find. Because of this I will nominate a friend or family member for you to collect the item from if you need collection. Pick-up in person must be worked out prior to purchase- thank you. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ POSTAGE is offered internationally. All our Decorative Arts pieces are delivered through AUSTRALIA POST. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ POSTAGE ESTIMATES. . . . ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ To BRISBANE- most of our pieces cost $15 - $18 to send. . . To SYDNEY or MELBOURNE- Small Vase- around $20 - $23, Medium Vase- around $20 - $25, Large Vase- around $24 - $30. Let us know if you need an EXACT COST for postage prior to purchase. The above postage estimates include $2.95 for a signature on delivery. . . INSURANCE against being lost or broken in transit up to the value of $200 is included in the estimates above. If your vase is cheaper or more expensive than $200 this will effect your postage fee slightly. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ A BOXING FEE of $3.00 is included in the fee above to cover the cost of searching for and storing used packing materials. With the millions of cardboard boxes that end up as landfill every year we don’t believe in supporting the manufacture of boxes for post. Instead of buying new boxes and packing materials and passing this cost onto our customers we spend considerable time sourcing used boxes and then fashioning boxes to fit each item. We do the same for bubble-wrap and foam pieces. This requires a large investment of time, energy, ingenuity, organization and storage space- it is much easier and cheaper to buy new packing materials but I can’t justify taking the easy way out when so much packing material ends up polluting our earth. Our $3.00 charge does little to pay for the time (and storage) needed do this and to pack your item (there is also the time needed to get your package to the post office). This is something we’re happy to do for our customers and the environment. We appreciate your support in this area.
We accept DIRECT BANK DEPOSIT. We send photographic ID of the store owner (Michael Grealy) to all customers at the point of sale, along with media articles about iNVISeDGE with photos of Michael Grealy in them (most of these articles are about 10 years old). Your payment will be paid into an Australian ANZ bank account under the name Michael Grealy (or iNVISeDGE). Please read our ebay feedback spanning more than 15 years for irrefutable proof of our online trading history and reputation. Ebay feedback can ONLY be left by LEGITIMATE PAYING customers! Credit Card payments are also available. Payments by Credit Card incur an additional fee of 2% to cover the fees the bank charge us. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
On occasions a DIRECT BANK DEPOSIT can be made at the time of collection. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
On occasions CASH payment when you collect your item may also be available. Confirm prior to purchase if you need this. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Other payment methods are available but are problematic and may incur additional fees. Tell us prior to purchase if you are unable to feel 100% confident with our trading history and payment methods so we can negotiate something else with you.
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