Pertti Santalahti Mars Art Glass Bottle Vase for Humppila, Signed

Overview

Rare hand-blown art glass bottle vase from the Mars series, designed by Pertti Santalahti for Humppila Glassworks in Finland. The vase is signed on the base: Pertti Santalahti 76.

The form is simple and strong: a rounded heavy body, narrow shoulders and a short bottle neck with a thick clear rim. Inside this calm shape, the glass is full of movement. A pale net like pattern runs over the surface, mixed with areas of tiny trapped bubbles and darker glass below.

Design and Glasswork

Mars is one of Santalahti’s author series from the 1970s, made during his period as chief designer at Humppila. The decoration looks almost geological, like a surface seen through ice, smoke and water.

The technique is complex and layered. The clear upper part carries a fine filigree like grid, while the lower body holds a deep dark tone with warm brown and wine coloured reflections inside the glass. The bubble texture adds another layer, especially visible in close light.

Because the vase was hand blown, the decoration is not mechanical. The lines bend, break and move with the form, giving the piece a strong studio glass character.

Designer

Pertti Santalahti was the chief designer of Humppila Glassworks and one of the Finnish glass designers who gave 1970s art glass its heavier, more experimental expression. His work often uses organic patterns, strong texture and references to natural structures such as ice, stone, water and northern landscapes.

In this Mars vase, that language becomes darker and more dramatic, with the glass looking almost volcanic at the base and frozen at the surface.

Details

Designer: Pertti Santalahti

Manufacturer: Humppila Glassworks

Series: Mars

Origin: Finland

Year: 1976

Material: hand blown art glass

Colour: clear glass with dark smoky base, brown and wine coloured inner tones, pale net decoration and bubble texture

Signature: Pertti Santalahti 76

Height: 18 cm

Condition

Excellent vintage condition.

Very light traces of time only. No major damage observed. The base has light age related marks, consistent with a signed vintage art glass object.

For Collectors and Interiors

A rare Finnish art glass vase with strong presence, beautiful technical detail and a clear designer signature. It works well as a collector piece for Humppila, Pertti Santalahti and Finnish 1970s glass, but also as a sculptural object in a modern interior.

The dark lower colour gives weight, while the clear neck and pale net decoration keep the vase visually light from above.