Kosta Lindstrand "Vanity" 1950s Engraved Swedish Vase with Tasteful Nude Woman

Vicke Lindstrand designed this vase while working as artistic director at Kosta Glassworks in Sweden (before they became Kosta Boda.) He called it "Vanity," and it's one of a series of mod, chic women he drew to be immortalized in glass. In 1956, Lindstrand gave a copy of this vase to Josephine Baker, an American-born French dancer and singer who symbolized the beauty and vitality of Black American culture, which took Paris by storm in the 1920s.

The vase is about 9 inches high, 7 inches wide, and 4 inches deep, and it weighs nearly 5.5 pounds. It does have a few scratches on the back of the vase, you can see them in the photos. It also has a small mark above the engraving that was left by a bubble on the surface of the hand blown vase when it was made. These small imperfections do not greatly affect the appearance - it's still an impressive piece!

The artist, Vicke Lindstrand (1904-1983) was born in Goteborg, Sweden, and started his career with Orrefors in 1928, where he remained until 1940. The tales of his departure vary, but it is known that he was under an agreement not to work in glass for a decade. Between 1943 and 1950 he became creative leader at Uppsala Ekeby, where he designed many different stoneware objects ranging from pots to figural sculptures. In 1950 he joined Kosta Glasbruk as an artistic director. He was the dominant designer until his retirement in 1973, lending his name to many now classic designs. As a glass designer, textile and ceramic designer, and painter, he is considered a pioneer of Swedish art. (He is also my favorite Swedish artist, and the one whose work I collect most.)