Alvar Aalto's Iittala Cobalt Blue "Savoy" Glass Bowl

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Offered is a cobalt blue glass bowl designed by the architect and designer, Hugo Alvar Henrik Aalto (Finnish, 1898-1976), and … Read more Offered is a cobalt blue glass bowl designed by the architect and designer, Hugo Alvar Henrik Aalto (Finnish, 1898-1976), and manufactured by Iittala of Finland. In fact, the cobalt blue collection was released to commemorate the 50th year of the original creations (and discontinued as of 1991), and this one was released as a commemoration of the Y2K centenary of the Finnish (medical technology) firm, Instrumentarium.

The unusual shape was inspired by Aalto's native homeland - the land of a thousand lakes and each vase is made by hand, individually mold-blown at the Iittala Glassworks factory. "He first sketched the vase to enter into a contest for the Karhula-Iittala glass company, and the design was added to a collection of items he and his wife Aina created for the Savoy restaurant in Helsinki. The prototype had a fascinating start, with Aalto blowing glass into a mold made from wood sticks stuck in mud, allowing the molten glass to escape the edges and gain its signature wavy shape. It's reported that Aalto was inspired by an Eskimo woman's traditional costume (indeed, that's the note on the bottom of his sketch). However, his last name actually translates in Finnish to "wave," long thought a rather fortunate coincidence."

Today, the Savoy Collection is celebrated for its functional, incredibly versatile, yet beautifully sculptural design. The vase won the Iittala design competition in 1936 and gained worldwide acclaim after it won the design prize at the Paris Exposition Internationale in 1937.

In that "form meets function" sense, the bowl is decorative on its own and may also be used as a centerpiece for interesting floating flowers, or as a catch-all, or as a candy bowl, or for serving snacks, and even as a tealight candle holder.

The bowl measures approximately 7.5" at its widest, by 7", and is 1.875" in height. See less