Large Blenko Glass Vase
View Similar Items
Large Blenko Glass Vase
About the Item
- Creator:Blenko Glass (Maker)
- Dimensions:Height: 23.5 in (59.69 cm)Width: 10 in (25.4 cm)Depth: 10 in (25.4 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1960s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:New York, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU1694210047011
Blenko Glass
A producer of hand-blown glass since 1893, Blenko Glass is currently headquartered in Milton, West Virginia, where it has operated since 1921. Among its many illustrious projects are the stained-glass windows it produced for St. Patrick’s Cathedral and the Washington National Cathedral. Blenko is known today for the brilliant colors of its glass vessels and objects—particularly those produced in the 1950s and ’60s—which range from jewel-like blues and greens to brilliant reds and yellows.
The company was founded by William J. Blenko, an English immigrant who was apprenticed to a glassmaker in his native London as a young man. Blenko developed expertise in the production of rondels, the round panes used in stained glass windows. His interest in the potential of natural gas to fire glass furnaces led him to Milton, where abundant reserves of the fuel had attracted a pool of skilled glassblowers. Under the name Eureka Glass, his company began making window glass in 1923, and in 1925, he was joined in the business by his son, William H. Blenko.
When the Great Depression quelled demand for stained glass, William J. Blenko brought local Milton glassblowers into the company to begin producing stem- and tableware, products for which the company, which changed its name to Blenko in 1930, is now best known. Up until the end of World War II, Blenko’s tableware designs were fairly straightforward, and they sold well at American department such as Gump’s, in San Francisco. The company was also commissioned in 1930 to produce a line of reproductions for Colonial Williamsburg.
In 1947, the company hired as its art director Winslow Anderson, who introduced artful, fanciful and modern vessels and objects in vibrant colors. This began what collectors refer to as Blenko’s “historic period.” A number of Anderson’s designs were honored by the Museum of Modern Art’s Good Design Awards in 1950, and throughout the 1950’s and ‘60s, the company enjoyed robust sales and critical acclaim. The forms Blenko produced during this period followed the contemporary vogue for biomorphism, or organic modernism, which favored rounded and fluid shapes inspired by nature.
One of Blenko’s most influential designers, Wayne Husted, who was active from 1953 to ’63, is credited with aligning Blenko’s products with the prevailing mid-century modern aesthetic by pushing the envelope on both form and color, particularly in his wedge-cut and Spool decanters and his Echoes series. Joel Philip Myers, who designed for Blenko in the 1960s, brought a sense of whimsy and visual excess to the product line, in keeping with the psychedelic look favored during the period.
Blenko Glass still produces many of its classic designs in items ranging from stemware and tableware to decorative objects and ornamental decanters. Among collectors, pieces created under Husted’s creative direction are of special interest. The company has come to the attention of younger audiences through the documentaries Blenko: Hearts of Glass and Blenko Retro: Three Designers of American Glass, both of which aired on PBS. Blenko also designed the glass award trophy for the Country Music Awards.
- Blenko Glass Shell BookendsBy Blenko GlassLocated in New York, NY1970s Blenko glass clear glass shell bookends.Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern More Desk Accessories
MaterialsGlass
$495 / set - Alberto Doná Large Murano Glass VaseBy Alberto DonàLocated in New York, NYAmazing large Murano glass vase designed by Alberto Doná, with beautiful detail, in very good condition with minor wear and patina due to age a...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Vases
MaterialsMurano Glass
- Large 1970's Frosted Glass Handkerchief Italian VaseLocated in New York, NYLarge 1970's modern frosted glass handkerchief Italian vase, in vintage original condition with minor wear and patina due to age and use.Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vases
MaterialsArt Glass
- Large 1970's Pottery Vase By Judy GlasserBy Judy GlasserLocated in New York, NYLarge 1970's modern pottery vase by Judy Glasser, in vintage original condition with minor wear and patina due to age and useCategory
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vases
MaterialsPottery
- Pair of Rosenthal Glass VasesBy RosenthalLocated in New York, NYNice pair of 1960s modern Rosenthal glass vases.Category
Late 20th Century German Mid-Century Modern Vases
MaterialsArt Glass
$895 / set - Mid-Century Modern Baccarat Glass VaseBy BaccaratLocated in New York, NY1970s Mid-Century Modern Baccarat France glass vase.Category
Vintage 1970s French Mid-Century Modern Vases
MaterialsGlass
- Large Glass Vase Attributed to BlenkoBy Blenko GlassLocated in New York, NYLarge, glass vase attributed to Blenko, red to orange color gradation. Fine original condition, free of damage.Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Vases
- Large Blenko Blown Glass Turquoise Asymmetrical "Ribbed" VaseBy Blenko GlassLocated in Brooklyn, NYAsymmetrical Blenko vase with ribbed pattern, large in scale (H: 11.25" x L: 8" x D: 4.25") in attractive turquoise palette. The design's first and only appearance was in the 1966 B...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vases
MaterialsBlown Glass
- Blenko Attributed Large Amberina Ombre Art Glass VaseBy Blenko GlassLocated in Bishop's Stortford, HertfordshireA very fine, stylish and unusual mid-century mallet shaped art glass vase in amberina orange and red glass. The vase has a pepper rounded gourd shape body with molded ribbing running...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Vases
MaterialsBlown Glass
- Large Turquoise Blue Hand Blown Glass Vase by BlenkoBy Blenko GlassLocated in Fort Lauderdale, FLVintage hand blown turquoise blue vase by Joel Meyers for Blenko. Textured square body graduates into to a saucer shaped rim. Artist: Joel Meyers Manufac...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Vases
MaterialsGlass, Art Glass, Blown Glass
- Large Turquoise Blown Glass Asymmetrical "Ribbed" Vase by BlenkoBy Blenko GlassLocated in Brooklyn, NYAsymmetrical Blenko vase with ribbed pattern, large in scale (H: 11" x L: 8" x D: 4") in attractive turquoise palette. The design's first and only appearance was in the 1966 Blenko...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vases
MaterialsBlown Glass
- Large Hand Blown Cobalt Blue Art Glass Vase by Blenko GlassBy Blenko GlassLocated in San Diego, CALarge hand blown cobalt blue art glass vase by Blenko Glass, circa 1990s. The vase is in very good vintage condition and measures 4.5"D x 15.5"H....Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Vases
MaterialsArt Glass