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RARE NOS 80s Ward Bennett for Sasaki "Sengai" set of 8 Crystal Highball Glasses

About the Item

An exceptional, investment-grade set of eight (two sets of four) New Old Stock (NOS) vintage postmodern 24% lead crystal highball glasses, designed by the legendary American modernist Ward Bennett for Sasaki Crystal, circa 1980s. Captured flawlessly in the photos, this complete collection is in pristine, museum-quality condition. The glasses feature Bennett’s iconic "Sengai" pattern (inspired by Zen monk Sengai Gibon’s famous painting The Picture of the Universe), which showcases a continuous, etched frosted band of repeating geometric shapes—the circle, the triangle, and the square. Each substantial glass stands 5.5 inches high with a 3-inch top diameter, tapering gracefully to a heavy 1.88-inch base, expertly showcasing the superb optical clarity of Japanese-manufactured lead crystal. Remarkably, this rare ensemble has never been used, remaining securely preserved inside its original silver textured Sasaki Crystal presentation boxes. Each box still bears its original factory product identification label marked "US23-375 SENGAI H.B 4PCS. SET", noting them as highball ("H.B.") 4-piece sets from Sasaki Crystal. The pieces come complete with all original factory tissue wrapping, protective bubble wrap, and clear-and-black descriptive designer stickers ("Sasaki Designed by Ward Bennett, 24% Lead Crystal, Japan") still fully intact on the glasses. Representing the ultimate holy grail find for collectors of late-century minimalist design, this complete set of eight adds unparalleled architectural sophistication to a high-end luxury bar cart or modern tableware collection. The "Sensual Minimalist": Ward Bennett was a towering figure in American modernism whose career spanned over five decades. Described by The New York Times as a designer who defined an era, Bennett’s signature style was often dubbed "sensual minimalism" for his ability to fuse industrial hardware with pure, sublime form. Early Foundations: A self-taught polymath, Bennett left school at age 13 to work in New York's Garment District. He later traveled to Europe where he studied under the legendary sculptor Constantin Brâncuși and painter Hans Hofmann. His diverse mastery ranged from fashion and jewelry to architecture and interior design. High-Profile Legacy: He became the go-to designer for the global elite, counting David Rockefeller (Chase Manhattan Bank), Rolling Stone founder Jann Wenner, and former U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson among his clients. Suffering from lifelong back problems, Bennett had a famous obsession with chairs, designing over 100 of them during his career. Today, his iconic work is held in the permanent collections of elite institutions worldwide, including MoMA, the Cooper Hewitt, and the Brooklyn Museum. A Japanese Industrial Pioneer: Founded by Sojiro Sasaki in Tokyo in 1902, Sasaki Glass began as a wholesale distributor of oil lamps during the dawn of Japan’s domestic glass industry. As electricity phased out oil lamps, the company seamlessly pivoted to upscale household glassware and table merchandise. Technological Milestones: Sasaki quickly became an industry trailblazer. In 1931, they pioneered Japan's glassmaking sector by successfully mass-producing premium lead crystal. By 1940, they had patented the nation's first fully automated machine screen-printing technology for glass. Global Collaborations: In the latter half of the 20th century, Sasaki achieved international acclaim by merging traditional Japanese glassmaking craftsmanship with Western design sensibilities. They partnered with world-renowned modern artists and industrial architects—like Ward Bennett—to manufacture avant-garde, museum-grade crystal collections. Modern Era: In 2002, Sasaki Glass officially merged with Toyo Glass (founded in 1878) to create Toyo-Sasaki Glass (TSG). Today, the conglomerate stands as the largest and most prestigious glassware manufacturer in Japan.

Creator:
Ward Bennett (Designer),Sasaki (Maker)
Dimensions:
Height: 3.75 in (9.53 cm)Width: 15.5 in (39.37 cm)Depth: 14 in (35.56 cm)
Sold As:
Set of 8
Style:
Post-Modern (Of the Period)
Materials and Techniques:
Crystal
Place of Origin:
Japan
Period:
1980-1989
Date of Manufacture:
1980s
Condition:
Wear consistent with age and use. New in the box, never used, still in original wrapping. Did not clean before photos, wanted to show all original.
Seller Location:
St. Louis, MO
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU820250906382

Shop All Ward Bennett

Ward Bennett

Ward Bennett created everything from interiors and furniture to textiles and flatware. The unsung New York City-born modernist designer drew on the work of Le Corbusier and Auguste Rodin, studied art with the likes of Abstract Expressionist painter Hans Hofmann and counted legendary American luxury house Tiffany & Co. among his clients. For decades, Bennett created and filled spaces that were elegant, minimalist and deeply appealed to everyone who laid eyes on them.

Bennett left home and school at the young age of 13. He found work in Manhattan’s Garment District, and within a few years, Bennett traveled to Europe on behalf of a clothing manufacturer to gather ideas for modern garments. He lived abroad as a young man, and when he returned to New York, during the early 1940s, he assisted fashion entrepreneur Hattie Carnegie as a window dresser.

Bennett would also go on to share a sculpture studio with artist Louise Nevelson. He ventured into the world of jewelry design, creating necklaces, bracelets and other pieces with Richard Pousette-Dart. The Whitney Museum of American Art exhibited his sculptures, and it wouldn’t be long before the Museum of Modern Art included Bennett’s personal adornments with accessories by the likes of Alexander Calder, Harry Bertoia and Anni Albers in its 1946 “Modern Handmade Jewelry” show.

Bennett didn’t take the plunge into interior design work until he was 30 years old — his inaugural project was an apartment in Manhattan and his clients were family members. He had no formal training in architecture or decorating — and would ultimately design a mere handful of houses in his life — so for his inviting leather office chairs, marble-topped tables and sleek storage cabinets, Bennett relied only on what he learned in the fashion world. Soon, every time he redecorated his own home — an elaborate apartment comprising former maids’ quarters in New York City’s magnificent Dakota building — it earned splashy coverage in the newspapers.

Bennett’s client list eventually included David Rockefeller and Chase Manhattan Bank, Tiffany & Co., Sasaki, Italian industrialist Gianni Agnelli, and others, and during the 1970s he became in-house designer for Brickel Associates, a role that would endure for more than two decades. His work is on permanent view at the Museum of Modern Art and the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum in New York.

On 1stDibs, find vintage Ward Bennett seating, decorative objects and more.