Vintage candleholder made of turquoise glass, 12 cm in diameter and 4 cm high. Made by Riihimäki Glassworks (Riihimäen lasi), likely a design by Helena Tynell. There are very slight traces of use. it's quite rare candleholder.
The design features a wide, shallow bowl with an unusually raised cylindrical center designed to hold a candle. The contours are fluid and continuous, forming a single gesture in glass. The surface is smooth, and the material evenly tinted - the glass has a vivid, aquatic tone that intensifies toward the central element.
The form is notable for its clarity and internal tension. The concave sweep of the bowl contrasts with the abrupt vertical of the central chamber, creating a sense of controlled dynamism. There is a sculptural quality to the piece that sets it apart from more conventional candleholder forms.
It bears a resemblance to Helena Tynell’s Olympos series, especially in the use of mass and recess to articulate function, though Olympos models typically rest on stems. Here, the object is grounded, self-contained, almost meditative in its compactness.
Why buy vintage glass by Helena Tynell?
Tynell was a renowned designer and sculptor who worked with glass. For over 40 years, she was a designer at the Riihimäki Glass Factory. She became one of the first Finnish designers to gain international recognition. In 1954, Tynell's works were exhibited at the first Finnish design exhibition in New York.
Her decorative pieces and glass sculptures are displayed in the Finnish Glass Museum, as well as in museums in Germany and Belgium, where she also worked. Tynell's works are part of the collections of the Finnish and Austrian presidents' families, the Finnish Parliament, and Turku Castle.
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