Background Info and Provenance
(This vase sold for $795 in 2018 through iNVISeDGE … it sold within 2 weeks of being listed on the iNVISeDGE website.)
Description written in 2018
An art glass vase made BY HAND by one of Europe most celebrated art-glass factories, Orrefors. This is an iconic piece featured in many art-glass reference guides. It’s expertly signed to the base, “Orrefors Sweden – Graal – 480 H” and at the bottom is the Edward Hald signature. The design number 480H denotes that this particular piece was made in 1954. This was a popular design and was produced until the late 1980’s. The value of these vases is influenced by how early the vase was produced. This one in 1954 is an early edition so more desirable. The hexagonal facets are also RARE and also verify an earlier year of production. The later pieces look different and the signatures to the bases are noticeably different too. This fish graal design (later or earlier) is virtually never seen in Australia. I think I’ve seen two others in 17 years of trading and back when I came across those I could only marvel at the workmanship and put them back on the shelf! This is the best one of these I’ve seen. It’s a good size measuring 15.5cm in height- the majority are about 10-11cm. It’s also hexagonal and the facets have been HAND-CUT to create crisp edges and incredible refraction within the piece.
The workmanship shown in this piece is astounding. Employing the Graal technique, countless hours of HANDIWORK have gone into it, of which the final cut facets is the least- but even that part of the design is complex and time-intensive. In the Graal technique, a coloured layer of glass has been encased under a transparent layer of crystal. The crystal has then been allowed to cool over several days and the design is later created by engraving or etching. This means the fish and seaweed in this piece has been created by engraving. The engraved layer is then encased by heavy crystal (often up to 5 times for items from the 1950’s). After this the motive becomes softer and more blurred, giving it the typical Graal appearance. The technique creates a 3-dimensional effect and encourages the viewer to get captured deep within the piece. The Graal technique was a huge commercial success for Orrefors and was the beginning of what is now known as the Swedish art glass movement. Graal pieces are incredibly collectable these days. In my research I’ve seen various priced at AU $60 000+.
The Orrefors Glassworks was founded in 1889 and for about 130 years, has provided the world with some of the most inspiring art glass ever seen. This early-1950’s piece that took an estimated 50 hours to create BY HAND is brimming with creative (life) energy and is a symbol that when something has been done well from the hands and hearts of people (and not machines) it will live on. There’s no better way I can think of to invest in your home and reduce your carbon footprint.
Ref- 1901
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! Additionally please be aware that in Australia ALL consumers are protected BY LAW if the goods or services they buy are not as described. (But this should be of no concern- in our first 15 years of trading we have over 1150 positive ebay feedback comments and ZERO negative feedback comments.) ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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 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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