Ghostly Passage: Bertil Vallien’s 'Memory Boat' – A Hand-Cast Glass Masterpiece

Description

Ghostly Passage: Bertil Vallien’s 'Memory Boat' – A Hand-Cast Glass Masterpiece

**'Memory Boat'** is a profound and evocative hand-cast glass sculpture by the globally revered Swedish glass artist, **Bertil Vallien (b. 1938)**, for Kosta Boda. This piece is a quintessential example of Vallien’s most recognized and celebrated series: the **Boat forms**. Far more than a decorative object, it is a signed art vessel, a container for thoughts, history, and the human journey.

The boat motif is central to Vallien's philosophical work, symbolizing a vessel carrying souls or memories across life's metaphorical waters. In **'Memory Boat,'** this theme is executed with his signature technical mastery of the casting process.

*** Form, Color, and Technique

The sculpture's haunting beauty is achieved through Vallien’s innovative **sand-casting technique**. Unlike blown glass, which is fluid and transparent, sand-casting allows Vallien to create a dense, highly textured form that is both opaque and translucent.

**Ghostly Interior:** The surface of the glass is typically rough and matte, contrasting sharply with the smooth, polished sides and interior. The form itself often features Vallien's trademark **internal structures**—abstract human figures, faces, or geometric forms—suspended within the glass. These elements appear spectral or submerged, contributing to the feeling of archaeological discovery or deep memory.

**Color Palette:** The colors are usually deep and earthy, utilizing shades of blue, sand, ochre, or rust, often with metallic or powdered glass inclusions that create a unique, painterly effect within the solid mass. The varying light refraction across the surface further emphasizes the boat's passage through an elemental environment. * **The Vessel as Narrative:** The specific design of the 'Memory Boat' forces the viewer to look *into* the glass, where the encapsulated figures and colors tell a silent narrative about travel, transition, and the mysteries of the sub-conscious mind.

*** Provenance and Collectibility

As a signed art piece from one of the most significant figures in the modern glass movement, 'Memory Boat' holds strong collector appeal:

**Limited Edition:** This sculpture is a **Limited Edition of 60**, signed by the artist as "Bertil Vallien" and numbered. Its small edition size ensures rarity and enhances its investment value.

**Artist and Maker:** Vallien's work for **Kosta Boda Sweden** (where he served as a designer for decades) is foundational to contemporary glass art. His pieces are held in major museum collections globally, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Victoria and Albert Museum. **Condition:** Given the fragility of the medium and the deliberate imperfections of the sand-casting process, the preservation of the piece in its original, perfect condition is key to maintaining its value.

'Memory Boat' is an exceptional piece of Scandinavian art glass, offering a captivating blend of myth, technique, and profound personal reflection. It is a timeless representation of a journey, captured forever in glass.

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• Feature 1: One of only 2 Made
• Feature 2: Durable and long-lasting material
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