|
glass notes photo library shop windows |
| e-mail us |
Orrefors & Kosta: some identification notes
Orrefors numbering:
Until 1923/24, Art Glass patterns were hand-drawn in pencil in pattern-books. Subsequently, printed catalogues were produced.
(Note: Not all designs were dated, so numbers in brackets in the tables below should be taken as approximate first or last designs for the year in question)
For full details of numbering systems, together with illustrations of the early patterns and copies of the Orrefors catalogues, see 'Swedish Glass Factories Production Catalogues, 1915 - 1960' by Helmut Ricke & Lars Thor (published 1987 by Prestel, ISBN 3-7913-0804-1)
First numbering system (1917 to 1931):
(all engraved art glass)
| design year | Simon Gate | Edward Hald | Vicke Lindstrand |
| 1917/1918 | G 40, 41, 62 - (117) | H 35, 50 - 90, 116 | |
| 1919 | G (118) - 127 | H 91 - (130) (not H 116) | |
| 1920 | G 128 - 174 | H 131 - 193 | |
| 1921 | G 175 - 184 | H 194 - 248 | |
| 1922 | G 185 - 213 | H 249 - 293 | |
| 1923 | G 214 - 273 | H 294 - (350) | |
| 1924 | G 274 - 327 | H (351) - (472) | |
| 1925 | G 328 - (358) | H (473) - (509) | |
| 1926 | G (359) - 410 | H (510) - (589) | |
| 1927 | G (411) - 434 | H (590) - 673 | |
| 1928 | G 435 - 509 | H 674 - (840) | |
| 1929 | G 510 - 534 | H (841) - (860) | L 51 - 58 |
| 1930 | G 535 - 553 | H (861) - (890) | L 59 - 118 |
| 1931 | G 554 570 | H (891) - (948) (last design dated 24/3/1931) |
Second numbering system (catalogues 1 to 8):
The three tables below show the significance of the letters and numbers in Orrefors' second and subsequent numbering systems
(a) The first letter is the code for the designer:
| code letter | designer | code letter | designer | code letter | designer |
| A | Olle Alberius | H | Edward Hald | P | Sven Palmqvist |
| B | Gunnar Cyrén | J | Jan Johansson | R | Carl Fagerlund |
| D | Ingeborg Lundin | K | Henning Koppel | S | John Selbing |
| F | (Karl) Edvin Öhrström | L | Vicke Lindstrand | T | Lars Hellsten |
| G | Simon Gate | N | Nils Landberg | V | Eva Englund |
(N.B. From 1980 onwards, two initials have been used, e.g.: NL = Nils Landberg, BB = Gunnar Cyrén)
(b) The second letter represents the glass type:
| glass types |
| designer code followed by pattern number only = engraved glass |
| designer code followed by letter A = cut, polished glass |
| designer code followed by letter E = cut, frosted glass |
| designer code followed by letter U = uncut, smooth glass |
| designer code followed by letter Z = green iridescent glass |
| designer code followed by Graal-S or S-Graal = Slip-Graal |
(c) The designer code letter is followed by a pattern number:
(these pattern numbers include the 'glass type' letter, where appropriate)
| engraved decoration (1931 - 1935): | |
| pattern number | design year | 1000 - 1165 | 1931 | 1166 - (1212) | 1932 | (1213) - (1294) | 1933 | (1295) - (1379) | 1934 | (1380) - 1399 | 1935 (last entry 18/3/35) |
cut with matt decoration (c 1925 - 1931): |
| pattern number | design year | E 1 - 53 | to 1926 | E 54 - 77 | 1927 | E 78 - 98 | 1928 | E 99 - 102 | 1929 | E 103 - 139 | 1930 | E 140 - 181 | 1931 | E 192 - 201 | 1931/32 | cut with polished decoration (c 1925 - 1935): |
| pattern number | design year | A 31 - 196 | to 1926 | A 197 - 204 | 1927 | A 205 - 233 | 1928 | A 234 - (260) | 1929 | A (261) - (340) | 1930 | A (341) - (360) | 1931 | A (361) - (410) | 1932 | A (411) - (415) | 1933 | A (416) - 421 | 1934 |
Example: Serial number 'GA 419' means that the piece was designed by Simon Gate, was a design for cut glass, and was designed in 1934 (that particular pattern actually appears in the 1935 catalogue)
Third numbering system (catalogues 9 to 13):
(adopted 19th March 1935)
| all glass types, except Z & U (1935 - 1960): (pattern number preceded by appropriate glass type letter) | |
| pattern number | design year | 1400 - (1520) | 1935 (from 19/3/35) |
(1521) - 1691 | 1936 | 1692 - 1910/2 | 1937 | 1910/3 - 2020 | 1938 | 2021 - 2260 | 1939 | (2261) - (2350) | 1940 | (2351) - (2650) | 1941 | (2651) - 2774 | 1942 | 2775 - 2885/7 | 1943 | 2885/8 - 2959 | 1944 | 2960 - (3080) | 1945 | (3081) - (3120) | 1946 - 48 | (3121) - (3170) | 1949 | (3171) - (3220) | 1950 | 3221) - (3350) | 1951 | (3351) - 3400) | 1952 | (3401) - (3500) | 1953 | (3501) - (3530) | 1954 | (3531) - (3570) | 1955 | (3571) - (3617) | 1956 | 3618 - (3695) | 1957 | (3696) - (3750) | 1958 | (3751) - (3818) | 1959 | (3819) - (3832) | 1960 | Z (green, 1929 - 1930): |
| pattern | design year | Z 16 - 53 | 1929 - 30 | U (hand-formed, 1930 - 1935): |
| pattern | design year | U 50 - (115) | 1930 - 31 | U (116) - (140) | 1932 | U (141) - 155 | 1933 | U 156 - 168 | 1934 - March 1935 |
'Ariel', 'Slip-Graal', 'Ravenna' & 'Fishgraal':
These four series had their own, different numbering system:
| design year | Ariel | Slip-Graal | Ravenna | Fishgraal |
| 1945 | 2261 - 2355 | |||
| 1946 | 2356 - 2824 | |||
| 1947 | 2825 - 2999 300 - 650 B | |||
| 1948 | 1 - 8 | 651 - 1660 B | ||
| 1949 | 9 - 10 | 1661 - 1999 B 200 - 869 C | ||
| 1950 | 51 - 52 B 53 - 832 E | 51 - 52 B 53 - 399 L | 11 - 18 | 870 - 1914 C |
| 1951 | 833 - 1450 E | 400 - 847 L | 19 - 22 | 1915 - 2999 C 200 - 437 D |
| 1952 | 1451 - 1755 E | 848 - 1175 L | 287 - 365 | 438 - 1835 D |
| 1953 | 1756 - 2022 E | 1176 - 1600 L | 366 - 608 | 1836 - 2866 D |
| 1954 | 2023 - 2203 E | 1601 - 2308 L | 609 - 743 | 2867 - 3000 D 200 - 1386 H |
| 1955 | 50 - 242 F | 2309 - 2310 L 50 - 433 M | 744 - 913 | 1387 - 2547 K |
| 1956 | 243 - 408 F | 100 - 289 N | 914 - 1078 | 101 - 1276 L |
| 1957 | 409 - 572 F | 51 - 225 O | 1079 - 1219 | 101 - 1294 M |
| 1958 | 100 - 226 G | 226 - 344 O | 1220 - 1343 | 100 - 1204 N |
| 1959 | 100 - 267 H | 345 - 440 P | 1344 - 1567 | 100 - 1134 Q |
| 1960 | 268 - 711 H | 441 - 558 P | 1568 - 1725 | 100 - 963 P |
Kosta glass by Vicke Lindstrand:
Some Kosta pieces designed by Vicke Lindstrand carry a full engraved signature. Others are engraved with a two-letter code (beginning with an L for Lindstrand), followed by a number. These appeared in the Kosta catalogues as laid out in the following table, although, of course, Lindstrand will have produced the designs during the two or three years prior to publication of the catalogue.
| Catalogue: | 1955 - 56 | 1958 - 59 | 1962 - 63 |
| LH (hand-formed by Lindstrand) | 1001 - 1261 | 1265 - 1627 | 1640 - 1784 |
| LU ('Unica' series) | 2004 - 2036 | ||
| LC (hand-formed 'Colora') | 1 - 11 | ||
| LF (hand-formed birds) | 1 - 7 | ||
| LG (engraved glass) | 101 - 212 | 213 - 330 | 335 - 407 |
| LS (cut glass) | 501 - 590 | 595 - 675 | 683 - 754 |