HISTORY OF GLASS IN SWEDEN

           Swedish glass is unlike any glass produced.  Its smooth lines and elegant form set it apart from the heavy cut crystal of many of the popular glass manufacturers.  If you attend any antique glass show, an appreciation for Swedish glass lends you an eye for picking it out from afar.  What is it that makes it so different?  It is a culture.  It is a way of life.  It is the precision of the artisans who create it.  It is merely a style that stands alone..

 Swedish glass has not been on the scene nearly as long as German or even Italian glass, but Swedish glassblowers have made quite a contribution to the art through new techniques such as graal, ariel, or even Ravenna (see our glossary).  Granted the roots of Swedish glassmaking extend from Germany and Italy, but what is remarkable is how Swedish glassblowers have transformed that knowledge into their very own artistry.

Sources differ on the time glass was introduced to Sweden.  One claims that glass has been handmade in Sweden since the fourteenth or fifteenth centuries by monks, while another pinpoints the first traces of glass to be in the sixteenth century.  Regardless of the date of introduction, glass for domestic use began in Sweden in the sixteenth century.  At that time, the Italians and the Germans were at the forefront of the industry.  Venetians were first recruited by the royal house, yet sadly nothing of their work in those early years remains.

 Considering the times and the agrarian society, it is remarkable that any glassworks were able to survive any length of time.  For this reason, most glassworks diversified and created a wide variety of glass objects such as bottles, window panes, and so forth.  In fact, stemware and tableware were only a small percentage of what the glassworks produced.

During the seventeenth century, many glassworks were located around the Stockholm area.  However, southern Sweden saw more and more glassworks cropping up.  One can only speculate as to why the glassworks didn’t last long on the average.  Imports could have oversaturated an already weak market or the lack of skilled labor may have lead to the closing of many glassworks.  It seems that Swedes were entrepreneurs with an unflagging spirit even back then.  Many, many glassworks opened and closed during this period.

It wasn’t until the eighteenth century that two long-standing glassworks were established:  Limmared (1741) and Kosta (1742).  The state stepped in by placing tariffs or bans on many imports and increasing customs fees, which decreased foreign competition.  While this boosted the glass economy, another problem appeared on the horizon.  The glassworks needed labor and fuel.  Most glassworks were planned far away from town due to the volatility of the furnaces.  Ironworks were placed in many of these remote areas as well.  The iron ore industry relied on removing iron ore from the abundant lakes in Sweden.  Competition between existing foundries and  planned glassworks in the north resulted in many moving down to the area now known as the Crystal Kingdom. 

 Fuel was plentiful as forests covered much of the area where the glassworks were located.  Sand and other raw materials were also easily accessible.  Skilled workers were difficult to come by, however, so many of the glassworks recruited foreigners, specifically Germans and Italians.  There is a noticeable German influence in much of the early glass that has been preserved.

The stemware market got its first real boost when an age-old custom of sharing drinking vessels at banquets changed in favor of each person having his or her own glass.  This, however, did not have a major effect till the latter half of the eighteenth century.  Still, during this time, glassworks mainly concentrated on producing windows and bottles rather than stemware.

The nineteenth century saw a number of changes in the glass industry in Sweden.  One of the glassworks still in operation today was founded  -- Reijmyre (1810).   It quickly became well-known for its engraved glass as unemployed skilled workers left Kungsholm’s glassworks in Stockholm when the market there took a downturn.  A large number of glassworks set up shop in the southern portion of Sweden after the iron industry moved to other parts of Sweden leaving abandoned foundries easily converted to glassworks and large unemployment in its exodus.   One famous Swedish glassworks, Orrefors, began as an ironworks in 1726 and later became a glassworks in 1898.  Skilled glassblowers left many of the glassworks to start their own businesses.  This had such an impact on the larger companies that they once again had to recruit glassblowers from other countries.   Due to a population explosion during the eighteenth century, many Swedes who had previously worked on farms either immigrated to the United States looking for work or headed to the cities.  Unemployed, unskilled labor in Smaland (the area known as the Crystal Kingdom) quickly turned to the glassworks industry when the agricultural market dried up.

 For more information, see the following suggested readings: 

Back to the glass information menu

Back to the main page