Timo Sarpaneva 3594 Egg Shaped Vessel

A model TS 3594 bud vase, designed by Timo Sarpaneva in 1957 for Iittala, Finland.

At just 7.5 cm tall, this egg-shaped vessel is among the smallest designs produced by Sarpaneva and is today one of his scarcest.

The rarity of the model is likely related to its method of manufacture. The vase was produced using the technically demanding incalmo technique, whereby two separately blown sections of glass, each of a different colour, are joined whilst hot to form a single seamless vessel.

Originating in Murano, Italy, incalmo requires exceptional precision, as the adjoining sections must match perfectly in diameter and thickness before they can be successfully fused together. The resulting join is almost imperceptible, lending the finished object a remarkable sense of unity despite its contrasting colours.

Within the context of mid-century Nordic glass, the incalmo technique is perhaps best known from Tapio Wirkkala's Bolle "pill" vessels, produced by Venini from 1966 onwards. Given that Sarpaneva's model TS 3594 predates these works by almost a decade, it is tempting to speculate that the design may have contributed to Wirkkala's later interest in the technique.