Kosta Boda Mirage Vase, Blue/Green, Medium

Göran Wärff's signature motifs contrast of bold strokes and flows of color within heavy, brilliant crystal forms. Collectors prize Göran's Kosta Boda designs, which also make stunning gifts for crystal lovers. The colors of Mirage harmonize subtly with the forms and depths of the vases, and the play of light within the crystal seems to add other forms and dimensions¿mirages, hence the name.

To create the Mirage vase, Swedish glass artist Göran Wärff seemingly started with a traditional yet incredibly thick cylindrical shape, arched it, and pulled one side out to form a dense wedge-like fin. Encased in the brilliantly clear lead-free crystal are veils of color in three combinations: blue/amber, red/gray, and blue/green, that shimmer and change depending on light quality, much like the mirage effect of heat in the desert. The vases are hand-crafted by master glassmakers at the Kosta Boda glassworks in Sweden, and as a result, each is unique.

Göran Wärff, who first designed for Kosta Boda in 1964, is known for his fluid, organic forms that are often inspired by nature. Wärff is adept at demonstrating how solid and heavy a crystal piece can be, yet at the same time buoyant, when the form is sensuous and the color spirited. A superb gift for the art collector, each glass piece arrives in a Kosta Boda box, signifying the highest artistry in both design and implementation.

Born in 1933, Göran Wärff has been retained by Kosta Boda since 1964 and has a studio at Kosta glassworks. "Glass is oxygen--light is energy--glass is light." So runs the mantra of Wärff, grand old man of Kosta Boda's designers. Few, if any, have such a deep feeling for the glass melt as Wärff, who has always shown special interest in preserving the traditional skills of the master craftsmen in glassblowing and glass cutting.

With characteristic craftsmanship and good design, Kosta Boda has become one of the leading glasshouses in the world. The company's three glassworks in the villages of Kosta, Boda, and Åfors each have exciting individual stories of their own yet stand together under the common brand name Kosta Boda. The corps of designers currently on retainer at Kosta Boda works with both utilitarian and art glass.

Kosta, the parent glassworks of Kosta Boda and the oldest glassworks in Sweden still in operation, has a fascinating history that forms a valuable part of Swedish cultural heritage. The glassworks was founded in 1742 by the governors of the counties of Kronoberg and Kalmar, Anders Koskull and Georg Bogislaus Stael von Holstein, both former generals in the army of Karl XII and distinguished veterans of the battle of Narva, among others.

Colorful, handmade art glass from the works in Kosta, Boda, and Åfors have made Kosta Boda one of Sweden's strongest brands and one of the world's leading glass companies. Glass from Kosta Boda is sold all over the world. Roughly 50 percent of production is sold outside Scandinavia, with some of the biggest markets in the U.S., Japan, Germany, and Australia.

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