By Eliane Kristensen
The Kingdom of Crystal in the southeastern region of Smaaland in Sweden is an enchanting place where nature and art glass make a lasting impression on visitors.
The Kingdom of Crystal in the southeastern region of Smaaland in Sweden is an enchanting place where nature and art glass make a lasting impression on visitors.The natural environment
Entering Smaaland you are met with a wild environment consisting chiefly of dense forests, blocks of stones and waters everywhere. You are immersed in nature - life has its own rhyme and meaning there. This is certainly a place to go to if you need peace and time for reflection and healing.
Its natural resources were decisive in the choice of the region for creating a new industry in the kingdom of Sweden in 1742. These key raw materials were wood, peat, quartz, water power to which could be added ample manpower.
1742 to today
The Kosta glassworks was founded in 1742, initially using the services of glassblowers from Bohemia until Swedish manpower could take over. It was the only glassworks in the area for a long time. However, towards the end of the 19th century, about 50 new blowing rooms were established in the region. Over the years many glassworks had to shut down for financial reasons.
The term "Kingdom of Crystal" dates back to the 1960s as part of a campaign to market the region as a cultural hub to attract tourism.
Nowadays, one distinguishes between glassworks and studio glassworks.
Glassworks are for the most companies employing glassworkers to produce artifacts designed by an artist or a designer. As a rule, they produce high-quality utility glassware on a large scale. Orrefors Kosta Boda AB is the biggest entity resulting from a series of mergers
Studio glassworks are small entities operated by one or commonly several glass artists who handle the design, production and sale of their works of art themselves.
In reality, the line is somewhat blurred by the fact that artists from studios sometimes act as designers for the glassworks and glassworks can also commercialize art glass produced by the studios.
Producing glass
The materials - Glass is obtained by melting sand to which other raw materials have been added. The quality of the glass is determined by the mix of raw materials, with soda and crystal glass as the most common types. While soda glass is used chiefly for producing household glassware, crystal glass is more refined and better suited for cutting and engraving.
Together with the quality of the melt, the furnace and crucible are vital elements of glass blowing. The temperature in the furnace can reach up to about 1450 degrees Celsius. By 1200 degrees the glass is of the right consistency to be worked with, as it has become viscous, glossy as well as free of bubbles.
Who does what? Traditionally, the work was performed by a master and his assistant. Nowadays, the production of art and sundry glass can require teams of 5 people headed by a glass master.
The techniques - A number of more or less advanced techniques have been developed over time. Among the advanced techniques developed in the region are (i) the Graal technique or working with a glob of glass of different colored layers where blasting, painting or engraving can also be used and (ii) the Ariel technique where air is captured in a pattern within the glass.
By the end of the process, the glass has come down to a temperature of about 300 degrees Celsius. At this point, it is essential that it cools down slowly to avoid cracks in the glass caused by stress during the process. The time needed will depend on the size of the object, from about 4 hours for a bowl to several weeks for a large sculpture.
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