Pair of Swedish Crystal Hand Engraved Pussy Willow Vases, 1960's design by John Orwar Lake for Ekenäs

These beautiful vases depict an early spring favorite - branches of Pussy Willow. They were handmade in Sweden in the 1960's at one of the many Swedish glassworks in operation there through the middle of the 20th century. The designer, John Orwar Lake (1921 - 2007), was a talented glass artist who produced a great variety of work. The larger piece is signed, so we know it was made at Ekenäs, where Lake was artistic director from 1950-1976. But the smaller one isn't, which means there is a chance that it was made somewhere else. In fact, the rim treatment isn't the same, either, so I strongly suspect that it was made at Smålandshyttan.

In any case, I think they make a charming pair, and I am selling them together as a set. The larger vase is 4.375" x 3.5" x 7.25" (111mm x 89mm x 184mm) and weighs 2.46 pounds (1.12 kg), and the smaller vase is 3.375" x 2.5" x 4.75" (86mm x 64mm x 121mm) and weighs 1.03 pounds (0.47 kg).