The fun birds of the year are without doubt Ursula and Valdemar. Ursula, a distinguished lady in green, and Valdemar, resplendent in white, make a great couple, and are sold only as a couple. They are sure to bring a smile to the faces of anyone who buys them and for years afterwards. Toikka’s birds have a reputation for awakening a wide range of different associations and feelings in different people, which is probably one of the reasons people are very attached to their birds for years and often add to their collection. Their attraction comes from a combination of factors – their colors, their size, their wings, the length of their beaks, the fan of their tails, and that something that you cannot put your finger on and which makes every bird special for everyone in their own way. They are like jewels, hatched in the glassblower’s furnace.
The first birds created by Oiva Toikka and the glassblowers of the Nuutajarvi Glass Factory, the oldest in Finland, saw the light of day in 1973. Each bird is a unique individual, signed with the artist's name as well as the name of Nuutajarvi. The Birds are cherished and valued gifts, and are irresistible to collectors around the world.
Designed by: Oiva Toikka
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. Oiva Toikka explores the opportunities offered by glass, exploiting the renowned iittala skill with color, and the transparency and opacity of glass. There is great virtuosity in the way filigree and filigree tape have been used to depict the bird's plumage. In his birds, Oiva Toikka uses glass like a painter uses his palette.
Features:
- Individually handmade
- Ursula Dimensions: 4.5" H x 3.25" W
- Valdemar Dimensions: 4.75" H x 3.5" 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.
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