iittala - Penttinen Nightbird

Close to four decades after the first Birds, iittala presents new colorful pieces by Anu Penttinen. Having already received wide media recognition, Birds by Penttinen are playfully inspired by the world of art.

Anu Penttinen knows her glass, as it is her medium of choice as an artist and she has a studio at the Nuutajärvi Glass Village. Her preference is for strong colors and clarity of form. Used to working with abstract designs, creating her new birds was quite a challenge, she continues:

“I decided to give my birds some humor and a personality all of their own." --Anu Penttinen

Designed by: Anu Penttinen, 2008

Sand, soda, lime and fire. In the heart of the hot shop, in a fiery kiln, elements meld to create the red-hot glass mass. A skilled hand grabs a pipe, lifts a gather of glass out of the oven, and starts working it: calmly, phase by phase. Twirl, lift, blow - a small miracle takes place: the unique idea of an artist appears in the mass. At the iittala glass factory in Nuuttajarvi, a millennia-old tradition of glassmaking is strongly alive. This is the birthplace of iittala's jewels - the glass birds.

Each bird is mouth-blown, and three to five craftsmen work on each bird as it is being produced resulting in each bird being one of a kind. The birds are constructed entirely of glass; their vivid colors come from the glass, not from paint. Penttinen’s birds owe much to pop culture, the world of cartoons, and are full of humor. She is fascinated by the colors, the very graphic shape and the startling nature of tropical birds like toucans. Their strong beaks and very individual eyes provided the input for some of the most important details of these glass birds.

Features:

• Individually handmade
• Hand wash only
• Overall Dimensions: 6.7" H x 5.7" W
• Please Note: Due to the nature of hand-blown glass, actual color may vary slightly from the colors pictured

Guarantee:
iittala products are built for life. iittala Guarantee

California Proposition 65 Warning: Certain patterns of tableware will expose you to lead, a chemical known to the state of California to cause birth defects or other reproductive harm.