Sweden’s oldest glass company, Kosta Boda, also enjoys a reputation as the country’s most artistic and experimental glassmaker. Since the late 19th century, Kosta Boda has hired painters, sculptors and other artists for short stints — generally two or three years — designing glassware, ensuring that the firm’s aesthetic is always lively and fresh.
Two former army officers founded Kosta Boda in 1742 in Sweden’s densely forested Småland province. (Plentiful timber was needed as fuel for the melting furnaces.) The glassworks’ early products consisted of everyday glassware, such as drinking vessels and windowpanes. As the company recruited master craftsmen from Bohemia, it created fine crystal for an aristocratic clientele.
Kosta Boda began making art glass — that is, unique and limited edition pieces — with the hiring of the painter Gunnar Wennerberg in 1898. Wennerberg worked in the Art Nouveau style and brought a lush, organic look to the company’s wares. He was followed to the firm by artists such as Edvin Ollers, who in the early 20th century created rich geometric and abstract floral patterns that were engraved on clear crystal.
Two postwar Kosta Boda designers stand foremost in the minds of collectors. One is Vicke Lindstrand, who excelled at a technique called cased glass, in which a vividly colored or patterned section of glass is surrounded by and seems to float within a clear crystal body. The other is Erik Höglund, who had an almost artisanal eye for glass shapes, and liked to produce glass that had a textured, warped look.
Kosta Boda created works in an astonishing array of styles, with something to suit any taste.
Find vintage Kosta Boda vases, bowls and other furniture and objects for sale on 1stDibs.
Anna Ehrner Kosta Boda Cobalt Blue Crystal Paperweight, 1990s
By Anna Ehrner, Kosta Boda
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
Anna Ehrner for Kosta Boda white crystal paperweight or votive candle holder. Kosta Boda white crystal candle holder by Anna Ehrner, 1990s A Kosta Boda votive...
Crystal
Glass Paperweight by Goran Warff for Kosta Boda, Rare Find
By Kosta Boda, Göran Wärff
Located in Bochum, NRW
Beautiful and heavy paperweight designed by Goran Warff and made by KostaBoda in the 1960s. Hand made of glass, this paperweight is sophisticate, featuring green and blue waves of gl...
Art Glass
$128Sale Price|43% Off
Kosta Boda Sweden Crystal Musk Ox Wooly Ox Göran Wärff Limited Edition WWF
By Göran Wärff, Kosta Boda
Located in Lutz, FL
Scandinavian Clear glass Muskox sculpture figurine designed by Goran Warff in 1973 for Kosta Boda as part of World Wildlife Fund" (WWF) Endangered Animals series. signed Kosta Warff ...
Crystal
Mid-Century Swedish Modern Ice Paperweights by Kosta Boda V Lindstrand 5 Pcs
By Kosta Boda, Vicke Lindstrand
Located in Port Jervis, NY
Beautiful hand carved and etched glass Art Glass Paperweights or just decorative pieces from Kosta Boda artists such as Vicke Lindstrand and others. 4 pieces by Kodta Boda and 1 by a...
Art Glass
Set of Two Kosta Boda Crystal Paperweights Mushroom & Owl by Lindstrand, Warff
By Kosta Boda, Vicke Lindstrand, Göran Wärff
Located in Chesterfield, NJ
Set of two hand blown clear crystal paperweights by Kosta Boda, Sweden. This set includes one mushroom paperweight designed by Goran Warff, and one owl paperweight designed by Vicke Lindstrand. Both are signed and numbered and the mushroom...
Glass
$615Sale Price|20% Off
1970s Painted Crystal Vase from the Kosta Wedding House
By Kosta Boda
Located in Marbella, ES
1970s Painted crystal vase from The Kosta Wedding House.
Glass, Art Glass
$1,800 / set
H 0.79 in W 9.53 in D 6.62 in
Fontana Arte Mid-Century Modern 1950s Glass Pen Holder Stand & Ashtray Desk Set
By Max Ingrand, Fontana Arte
Located in Landau an der Isar, Bayern
Max Ingrand for Fontana Arte (attributed) Midcentury Modern desk set featuring a pen holder or stand with a tray and an ashtray. Made in Ita...
Metal
Vintage Cobalt Blue Glass Ashtray, Italy, 1970s
Located in Roma, IT
Vintage cobalt blue ashtray is an elegant glass decorative object, realized during the 1970s. Vibrant cobalt blue ashtray will help add...
Glass
Vintage Glass Paperweight, Italy, 1970s
Located in Roma, IT
Vintage glass paperweight is an original Contemporary Design Object realized in the 1970s. Original art glass. Made in Italy. Dimensions...
Art Glass
Vintage Crystal Art Glass Vase by Goeran Waerff for Kosta 1970s
By Göran Wärff, Kosta Boda
Located in Berghuelen, DE
Vintage Crystal Art Glass Vase by Goeran Waerff for Kosta 1970s Item e7114 A vintage art glass vase designed by Goeran Waerff and manufactured by Kosta Glasbruk ca. 1970s. Made of th...
Art Glass
Vicke Lindstrand Vase Produced by Kosta in Sweden
By Vicke Lindstrand
Located in Limhamn, Skåne län
Glass vase designed by Vicke Lindstrand. Produced by Kosta in Sweden. Signed ‘Kosta 46451 Lindstrand – Minne från Tempo'.
Glass
Midcentury Crystal Ashtray from Kosta, 1960s
By Kosta Glasbruk 1
Located in Esbjerg, DK
Thick and heavy cigar ashtray. It is made from polished lead crystal. Signed and numbered beneath its base. The signature looks like EH so it was probably designed by Erik Hoglund.
Crystal
Kosta Boda Line White Wine
By Anna Ehrner
Located in Wilkes Barre, PA
Line from Kosta Boda has been in production since 1982. The collection is unique, with a thread of spun glass applied on each product by hand – a symbol of high-quality Swedish craft...
Crystal
$890
H 2.25 in Dm 9.5 in
Aldo Londi Bitossi Very Large Round Rimini Blue Glazed Midcentury Ashtray, 1950s
By Bitossi, Aldo Londi
Located in Vienna, AT
A beautiful, decorative midcentury Rimini blue glazed ashtray. Very large, has a diameter of 9 1/2 inches, Designed by Aldo Londi, manufactured by Bitossi Ceramiche / Italy in the 19...
Ceramic, Stoneware, Terracotta
$236
H 2.36 in W 2.36 in D 1.57 in
Miniature Glass Art Vase from "Artist collection" by Vallien, Kosta, Sweden
By Bertil Vallien, Kosta Boda
Located in Skarpnäck, SE
A small but stunning vintage miniature glass vase handmade and signed by Bertil Vallien for Kosta Boda, Sweden. It is a part of his selected "Art...
Art Glass
Retro Bohemian glass ashtray by Bohemia Crystal, Czech Republic, 1990s
By Bohemia Crystal
Located in Miklavž Pri Taboru, SI
Vintage Bohemian glass ashtray by Bohemia Crystal, made in the Czech Republic in the 1990s. Magnificent hand-cut lead crystal. Vintage glass ashtray is in excellent condition. The cr...
Crystal
$272Sale Price|20% Off
H 5.71 in W 3.04 in D 3.04 in
Vintage French Ceramic Vase by Raymonde Leduc 'circa 1970s', Small
By Raymonde Leduc
Located in London, GB
Vintage ceramic vase (or pencil holder if you prefer) by Raymonde Leduc (circa 1970s). Sandstone coloured small vessel with plant motifs inlaid on all four sides. In good overall con...
Ceramic
1970s Sweden Kosta Boda Ice Glass Candle Holder Goran Warff
By Kosta Boda
Located in Chula Vista, CA
1970s Sweden Kosta Boda Polar Ice Art Glass Votive Candle Holder by Goran Warff 3.25 h x 4 diameter Preowned original vintage condition See all images provided.
Art Glass
Kosta Boda Glass Iceberg with Carved Seal
By Kosta Boda
Located in North Hollywood, CA
Kosta Boda glass iceberg bookend or paperweight with carved seal head.
Glass
Eik Höglund - Glass Paperweights
By Kosta Boda, Erik Höglund
Located in MAASTRICHT, LI
Product Description: These paperweights by Erik Höglund will definitely brighten up your workplace. Höglund was a family man who got inspired by the creative process in his younger years already. A smart rebellious moderniser at heart Höglund, having his work refused at the glass shops of Sweden, set up his own exhibitions and convinced the art director at boda that with time customers would flock in. Hard work paid off and Höglund won the prestigious Danish Luning prize in 1957. Sales skyrocketed along with his fame, earning him the name "wonder boy" in the United States. Höglund did not consider himself a glass-artist solely. Höglund combined his glass art with iron in his famous chandeliers, painted on canvas and sculpted in bronze and terracotta. All the paperweights have a figurative relief pressed into them. A naked woman is pressed into two of the paperweights, the two blue paperweights hold a ship anchor, the blank rectangular paperweight a robot and a cat houses...
Glass
Sold
H 0.99 in W 2.37 in D 2.37 in
1960s Swedish Kosta Boda Olive Glass Warrior Shield & Sword Dish by Erik Hoglund
By Kosta Boda, Erik Höglund
Located in London, England
1960s Small Swedish paperweight, ashtray or trinket dish which is made from a thick piece of square coloured light olive glass. The warrior with a sword...
Glass, Art Glass
Sold
H 0.99 in W 2.37 in D 2.37 in
1960s Swedish Kosta Boda Teal Glass Trinket Dish Viking Ship by Erik Hoglund
By Kosta Boda, Erik Höglund
Located in London, England
1960s Small Swedish paperweight, ashtray or trinket dish which is made from a thick piece of square coloured dark teal glass. The viking ship design is...
Glass, Art Glass
Sold
H 5 in W 3.5 in D 3.5 in
Kosta Boda Orange and Cobalt Blue Glass Paperweight Sculpture Desk Accessory
By Kosta Boda
Located in North Miami, FL
This Kosta Boda glass paperweight sculpture has immersions of an orange blob floating inside the clear. It has tiny dots on top and looks like an orange marshmallow...
Blown Glass
Sold
H 3.88 in W 5.5 in D 1.38 in
1980s Kosta Boda Sweden Crystal Art Glass Tiger Paperweight by Bertil Vallien
By Kosta Boda, Bertil Vallien
Located in Chula Vista, CA
1980s Kosta Boda Sweden Crystal Art glass tiger paperweight by Bertil Vallien Vintage glass tiger figurine paperweight Zoo Series designed by Bertil Va...
Crystal
Sold
H 2.37 in W 2.37 in D 0.79 in
Bertil Vallien for Kosta Boda Sweden Mini Sculpture My Heart, 1990's
By Kosta Boda
Located in Delft, NL
Dimensions: 6cm H, 6cm W, 2cm D Condition: Mint Period: 1990’s Producer: Kosta Boda Origin: Sweden Designer: Bertil Vallien.
Glass
Sold
H 5.5 in Dm 3.5 in
Set of Three Kosta Boda Paperweights Mushrooms and Owl by Lindstrand and Warff
By Kosta Boda, Vicke Lindstrand, Göran Wärff
Located in Chesterfield, NJ
Set of three paperweights by Kosta Boda, Sweden. This set includes two mushroom paperweights designed by Goran Warff, and one owl paperweight designed by Vicke Lindstrand. All are si...
Glass
Kosta Art Glass Ram Sculpture by Erik Höglund
By Kosta Boda, Erik Höglund
Located in Astoria, NY
A sculptural ram by Erik Höglund for Kosta Boda, produced in Sweden, circa 1950s-1960s, crafted of clear, artfully detailed glass, mounted on a metal stand. Very good vintage conditi...
Metal
Set of Six Kosta Boda Glass Paper Weights
By Kosta Boda
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A Kosta Boda glass 6 figurine set of a family from the 1970s. Designed by Ann and Goran Warff. Aunt Fiddle, 1983 Uncle Bill, 1977 Fredsarett, 198...
Blown Glass, Glass
1960s Kosta Boda Paperweight Collection
By Goran and Ann Warff, Kosta Boda
Located in New York, NY
A beautiful collection of Kosta Boda handblown glass paperweights signed by artists Ann and Goran Warff. These were created in the late 1960s. Largest clear glass paperweight measur...
Blown Glass