Green cased glass vase by Vicke Lindstrand for Kosta, model LH 1447, late 1950s

This vase of mouth-blown cased glass was designed by Vicke Lindstrand for the Swedish glassworks Kosta, where he served as artistic director from 1950 to 1973. The base bears the engraved signature “Kosta LH 1447”. The prefix LH denotes Lindstrand's pieces shaped freely at the furnace, and the model number falls within the number range of the 1958/59 Kosta catalogue, which dates the design to the late 1950s.

The thick-walled body has an oval cross-section and rises from a solid, rounded clear-glass foot to an obliquely cut oval mouth. Inside lies a bottle-green core encased in a heavy layer of colourless glass and set asymmetrically to one side, leaving a broad, crescent-shaped field of clear glass on one flank. Depending on the angle, the green shifts from light emerald in the thinner areas to an almost black fir green at the edges, and through the polished base the coloured core appears as if seen through a lens.

As a bud vase for single stems or as a sculptural glass object on a sideboard, windowsill or shelf, the vase suits a Scandinavian mid-century interior as well as a contemporary setting. It measures 14.6 cm in height, 12 cm in width and 7 cm in depth and is in very good original condition without chips or cracks; the base shows only fine, age-appropriate signs of use.