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.
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
CARAMBA Crystal Apple Paperweight Ulrica Hydman Vallien Kosta Boda, Sweden 1990s
By Kosta Boda, Ulrica Hydman-Vallien
Located in Miami, FL
Rarely seen CARANBA Series hand-painted crystal apple paperweight by Ulrica Hydman Vallien for Kosta Boda, Sweden from the 1990s. Decorated with her signature fantastical animals (fi...
Crystal
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
Mid-Century Swedish Modern Ice Paperweights by Kosta Boda V Lindstrand 5 Pcs
By Vicke Lindstrand, Kosta Boda
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
$128Sale Price|43% Off
Kosta Boda Sweden Crystal Musk Ox Wooly Ox Göran Wärff Limited Edition WWF
By Kosta Boda, Göran Wärff
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
Set of Two Kosta Boda Crystal Paperweights Mushroom & Owl by Lindstrand, Warff
By Göran Wärff, Vicke Lindstrand, Kosta Boda
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
1970s Italian Ceramic Smoking Set: Blue Ashtray & Lighter
Located in Roma, IT
Smoking Set is a decorative object realized in the 1970s. A ceramic blue colored smoking set composed by a lighter and an ashtray. Dimensions: Lighter: h.7.5 x 7 cm Ashtray: h. ...
Ceramic
Vintage 12.5-Inch Cobalt Blue Glass Ashtray from 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 Art Glass Paperweight, Italy, Contemporary Design, 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
Göran Wärff for Kosta Boda Zoom Art Glass Bowl Catchall, Sweden
By Kosta Boda, Göran Wärff, Boda
Located in Bad Säckingen, DE
Striking Swedish studio art glass bowl or sculptural catchall designed by Göran Wärff for Kosta Boda, from the Zoom series. The piece is characterized by its broad, shallow circular...
Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass
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
Ulrica Hydman-Vallien for Kosta Boda. Glass bowl with tulip motif. 1980s
Located in København, Copenhagen
Ulrica Hydman-Vallien for Kosta Boda, glass bowl. Decorative hand-painted glass bowl with tulip motif in pink, black and green tones, signed and retaining original maker’s sticker. O...
Art 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
$500Sale Price|20% Off
H 5.63 in Dm 11.25 in
Swedish Postmodern Centerpiece Bowl by Ulrica Hydman-Vallien, 1990s
By Ulrica Hydman-Vallien, Kosta Boda
Located in New York, NY
A beautiful Postmodern Swedish art glass centerpiece bowl by artist and designer Ulrica Hydman-Vallien, circa 1990s, for Kosta Boda, Sweden. Centerpiece ...
Glass
$375 / set
H 11 in W 4 in D 3 in
Set of 3 Swedish Crystal Sunflower Candlesticks by Göran Wärff for Kosta Boda
By Göran Wärff, Kosta Boda
Located in San Diego, CA
Set of three vintage Swedish crystal sunflower candlesticks by Göran Wärff for Kosta Boda, circa 1970s. This beautiful trio of clear glass candleholders is in good vintage condition with no chips or cracks, measuring approximately: Large 11"H x 4"W x 3"D Medium - 7.5"H x 4"W x 3"D Small - 4.75H x 4"W x 3"D These 3 vintage Kosta Boda sunflower...
Crystal
$180Sale Price|20% Off
H 4.25 in Dm 2.5 in
Miniature "Open Minds" Art Glass Vase by Ulrica Hydman-Vallien for Kosta Boda
By Kosta Boda, Ulrica Hydman-Vallien
Located in San Diego, CA
Miniature "Open Minds" art glass vase by Ulrica Hydman-Vallien for Kosta Boda, circa 1980s. This beautiful piece is hand painted and in very good condition with no chips or cracks. T...
Art Glass
$300
H 5.91 in Dm 8.67 in
Ulrica Hydman-Vallien for Kosta Boda. Large glass bowl with fruit motif, 1980s
Located in København, Copenhagen
Ulrica Hydman-Vallien for Kosta Boda, large glass bowl. Decorative hand-painted glass bowl with colourful fruit and floral motif in blue, green and yellow tones, signed and retaining...
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
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 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 Bertil Vallien, Kosta Boda
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 Göran Wärff, Vicke Lindstrand, Kosta Boda
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