Lucite Spiral
View Similar Items
Lucite Spiral
About the Item
- Creator:Dorothy Thorpe (Artist)
- Dimensions:Height: 4.25 in (10.8 cm)Width: 9 in (22.86 cm)Depth: 4.75 in (12.07 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:Mid-20th Century
- Condition:Very good; light wear includes minor crazing.
- Seller Location:Richmond, VA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU5843227727252
Dorothy Thorpe
Dorothy Thorpe glassware was a chic staple of every mid-century modern wet bar, paricularly her festive Roly Poly silver-banded tumblers. Although not as widely known as such contemporaries as Eva Zeisel and Edith Heath, Thorpe was one of a group of creative and entrepreneurial women whose designs captured the imagination of the postwar homeowner with her modern and festive designs.
Thorpe was born in Salt Lake City in 1901 and settled in Los Angeles as a young woman. She began creating her signature glassware using the trade name Dorothy Thorpe Originals in the 1930s. Thorpe was a designer, not a glassblower. To create her shimmering wares, she purchased glass blanks from a variety of manufacturers and subjected them to various techniques, including sandblasting, etching and silver overlay. Initially Art Deco in style, the pieces were signed with a large T and smaller D. Thorpe also worked in ceramics and, in the 1940s, with Lucite, producing a line of household items, such as magazine racks, sculptural lamps, candlesticks and umbrella stands.
After World War II, Thorpe was inspired by the new interest in the flowers and animals of the South Pacific to begin incorporating tropical floral motifs into her work. She traveled to Hawaii and studied local irises, roses, azaleas, narcissus and eucalyptus. The decorative patterns based on these studies were created primarily by sandblasting, which makes a glass surface appear frosted. From the 1930s through the ’50s, Thorpe’s designs won her many fans among the members of café society, including Princess Grace of Monaco and the Shah of Iran. They were also widely imitated. Vintage tumblers that bear a silver stripe around the rim but lack the “DT” signature on the bottom are not Thorpe originals.
In the 1950s, Thorpe created the glassware line Atomic Splash, which featured the energetic geometric patterns that were so popular at the time. Atomic Splash patterned drinking glasses and serving dishes bore a silver overlay that evoked an explosion. She also designed a line of ceramic tableware decorated with a wreath of spring flowers in collaboration with Crown Lynn Pottery, in New Zealand, and, in the mid-’60s, created coffee sets for the Santa Barbara and Monterey companies. Among her own ceramics products were lines glazed iin the eye-catching shades Orange Persimmon and Blue Periwinkle.
- Bird AshtrayLocated in Richmond, VAStunning handmade petite copper and brass bird ashtray with blue stone eyes and intentional brush stroke patina look. Made in Mexico. Stamped on base, Taxco.Category
20th Century Mexican Desk Sets
MaterialsBrass, Copper
$295 - Brass Letter OpenerLocated in Richmond, VAVintage letter opener in stainless steel with a brass jug handle. Stamped McCrory's 1989, stainless steel, made in Turkey.Category
Vintage 1980s Turkish Letter Openers
MaterialsBrass, Stainless Steel
- Spiral Cutlery Rest SetLocated in Richmond, VA6-piece cutlery rest set in white bronze with a polished finish. Their petite size make them suitable for a single piece of cutlery such as a knife or fork, or a pair of chopsticks. ...Category
2010s Serving Pieces
MaterialsBrass
$325 / set - Wire Animal SculptureLocated in Richmond, VAVintage metal animal sculpture with spiral head. In the style of artist, Alexander Calder.Category
20th Century Mid-Century Modern Animal Sculptures
MaterialsMetal
- Sculptural Pewter TeapotLocated in Richmond, VAStunning handcrafted metal teapot by classically trained silversmith, Randy Stromsoe. Signed and stamped on the bottom, Randy Stromsoe 95'.Category
1990s Tea Sets
MaterialsMetal
$1,295 - Gold Ceramic Torso VaseLocated in Richmond, VAHandmade, petite vintage ceramic torso vase in a lustrous gold glaze. Signed on base.Category
20th Century Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsCeramic
- Dorothy Thorpe Midcentury Crystal Lucite American Knot Paperweight SculptureBy Dorothy ThorpeLocated in Roma, ITMidcentury crystal Lucite American knot paperweight sculpture. This wonderful piece was designed by Dorothy Thorpe in America during the 1960s. An amazing item with a unique knot ...Category
Mid-20th Century Central American Mid-Century Modern Animal Sculptures
MaterialsLucite
$616 Sale Price20% Off - Carl Auböck Model #7259 'Spiral' Brass Pen HolderBy Werkstätte Carl AuböckLocated in Glendale, CACarl Auböck Model #7259 'Spiral' brass pen holder. Designed in the 1950s, this incredibly refined and sculptural pen or pencil holder is executed in ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Austrian Mid-Century Modern Abstract Sculp...
MaterialsBrass
- Murano Art Glass Multi Color Spiral Paperweight Sculpture, Italy, 1960sLocated in Barcelona, ESBeautiful abstract Murano blown glass sculpture. Artist unknown. Italy, 1960s This art glass paperweight sculpture has an eye-catching design with spiral shape standing on a clear g...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Abstract Sculptures
MaterialsGlass, Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass, Murrine
- Mid Century / Modern - Acrylic / Lucite Sculpture Abstract, 1960sLocated in Buenos Aires, OlivosMid Century / Modern - Acrylic / Lucite Sculpture Abstract, 1960sCategory
Late 20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Abstract Sculptures
MaterialsAcrylic
$719 Sale Price28% Off - Pop-Art Enzo Mari Style Lucite Cube SculptureBy Enzo MariLocated in Raleigh, NCVintage blue lucite cube sculpture with suspended steel marbles. In the style of Enzo Mari.Category
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Abstract Sculptures
MaterialsLucite
- Trio of Lucite Sculptures Signed & DatedLocated in Los Angeles, CAFantastic trio of Lucite sculptures with geometric shapes designed and manufactured by a Los Angeles artist and signed "Henry" 2017. The pieces are beautifully executed, the inlaid ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Abstract Sculptures
MaterialsLucite
$1,895 / set