Orrefors, Sweden

Well it's not mine but one that got away. I wasn't going to ask anyone about this as I was cheesed off at not getting it but my curiosity has got the better of me.

The week before last I was staying in Devon for a few days and I visited an auction house in Sidmouth as there was a sale later that week. During my viewing I noticed this big, heavy lump:

The piece was signed on the bottom with the initials of Olle Alberius, the Orrefors name and mention of an 'Expo'. The estimate was £20 to £40. It was going to be difficult for me to attend the auction and I had few means of doing any research on the piece (not even internet access)while I was away, so I left a bid of £60. I found out later that I was outbid by one other and it sold for £65. I wish I had left a bigger bid but my knowledge is not very good yet and I must admit to not even knowing Olle Alberius' name until I researched it when I got home.

So I am guessing this piece was made for an exhibition and it may be something that never retailed. I have tried finding something about it online but with no success. I suppose I just want to know maybe the age and, of course, whether I missed out on something valuable. Do I need to kick myself?

Sorry the picture is not great but a phone camera and poor light are not a great combination.

Any information would be appreciated.

Nick

I'm a big fan of Olle Alberius' ceramics designs for Rorstrand - sadly I know very little about his work in glass. It is documented however that he worked at Orrefors from 1971 until his death in 1993 at the age of 67.

Sorry to hijack the thread, but did you see the Olle Alberius Rorstrand vase I bought a couple of weeks back Pip? I will get some decent pictures and post them in the Rorstrand thread.

nickbug wrote:The piece was signed on the bottom with the initials of Olle Alberius, the Orrefors name and mention of an 'Expo'. ...
So I am guessing this piece was made for an exhibition and it may be something that never retailed. I have tried finding something about it online but with no success. I suppose I just want to know maybe the age and, of course, whether I missed out on something valuable. Do I need to kick myself?...

Hi,
The Expo- items from Orrefors are in a limited edition and often made for exhibitions. They are not unique, but a complete signature on an Expo-item is Orrefors+EXPO+the initial or initials of the designer+number+year. The first Expo-signed item by Olle Alberius is numbered 200-72. (Ref: Kerstin Wickman ed., 1998, Orrefors: Etthundra år av svensk glaskonst, Stockholm: Byggförlaget-Kultur.

Hope this helps!

Best regards/Jakjo

Thanks for the replies. I wish now I had written the full number down from the bottom but it wasn't easy to see in the poor light.

A stunning decanter by Simon Gate for Orrefors.  From the marks on the base I think this dates to 1917-18 which is incredibly early as he only started with them in 1916.