1969 Blenko #699a Wheat Glass Elephant Bookends by Joel Philip Myers – Pair

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Description

A wonderful pair of vintage Blenko #699A elephant bookends in Wheat glass, designed by Joel Philip Myers and introduced in … Read more A wonderful pair of vintage Blenko #699A elephant bookends in Wheat glass, designed by Joel Philip Myers and introduced in 1969.

The sculptural elephants are wonderfully characteristic of Myers' work for Blenko, reducing the animal form to a bold, almost abstract silhouette while retaining the wonderfully expressive raised trunk. Their substantial hand-blown glass construction gives them both visual presence and enough weight to function beautifully as bookends.

The warm translucent Wheat color is a classic Blenko hue of the period, shifting from golden honey to deeper brown depending upon the thickness of the glass and surrounding light.

Joel Philip Myers served as Blenko's designer from 1963 to 1970, a particularly important period in the company's Mid-Century Modern history. The #699A elephant bookend was introduced in 1969, near the end of his tenure.

As with hand-crafted Blenko glass, subtle variations between the two elephants are part of their character and evidence of the individual production process.

A terrific pair for a bookshelf, console or desk, and an especially appealing example of Myers' playful sculptural approach to American Mid-Century Modern glass.

Blenko Glass Company, Milton, West Virginia. Designed by Joel Philip Myers, 1969.

Dimensions: approximately 6.5" H × 5.5" W x 2" D each.

Very good vintage condition with minor signs of age and use consistent with vintage hand-crafted glass. Please see photographs for details. See less