H is for Home Harbinger

We’ve just realised that it’s been almost a year since our last Alphabet blog post!!  Where does time go?

Anyway, we’ll get back on our metaphorical alphabet bike and resume where we left off. The last post in this series was O is for… Owl.  So today it’s P – and ‘P’ is for… Per. Per Lütken to be precise.

_{photo credit: 20th Century Forum}

Per Lütken is one of the great names in Scandinavian glass. He assumed the role of art director & chief designer at Holmegaard Glasværk in 1946.

_{photo credit: Retropolitan}

He introduced lovely soft colours and free flowing organic forms to the company’s output in the 1950s – ‘Provence’ bowls & ‘Beak’ vases being classic pieces from this period. The iconic ‘Aristocrat’ decanter is also much sought after by mid century modern fans. The 1960s saw experimentation with clear & coloured glass to achieve eye-catching, swirling designs. Towards the end of the decade he introduced his innovative ‘Lava’ glassware which retained impurities to give an earthy, rustic look. The 1970s saw Lütken produce one-off glass sculptures along with further mass produced ranges such as the Vintergaek series which incorporated opaline glass into a clear glass body. He continued to design, develop, guide, influence & innovate at Holmegaard until his death in the 1990s.

_{photo credit: austrohungaro, Collectors Weekly}

There are some must-visit sites on the net for reference guides to Scandinavian glass – 20th Century Glass, 20th Century Forum and Collectors  Weekly.

_{photo credit: austrohungaro, Collectors Weekly}

Here’s a selection of books on Scandinavian art glass that we recommend:

We often have plenty of Scandinavian art glass available in our shop. We have one lovely example of Per Lütken’s work currently in stock. It’s the small, icy blue vase in our main picture. It has the great man’s signature etched to the base and the date year of 1958.