Glass Pyramid Stud Bookends by Blenko, Pair
View Similar Items
Glass Pyramid Stud Bookends by Blenko, Pair
About the Item
- Creator:Blenko Glass (Maker)
- Dimensions:Height: 4.5 in (11.43 cm)Width: 4.5 in (11.43 cm)Depth: 2.25 in (5.72 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- Style:Modern (In the Style Of)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 20th century
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. - No chips noted.
- Seller Location:New York, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU131426176783
Blenko Glass
A producer of hand-blown glass since 1893, Blenko Glass is currently headquartered in Milton, West Virginia, where it has operated since 1921. Among its many illustrious projects are the stained-glass windows it produced for St. Patrick’s Cathedral and the Washington National Cathedral. Blenko is known today for the brilliant colors of its glass vessels and objects—particularly those produced in the 1950s and ’60s—which range from jewel-like blues and greens to brilliant reds and yellows.
The company was founded by William J. Blenko, an English immigrant who was apprenticed to a glassmaker in his native London as a young man. Blenko developed expertise in the production of rondels, the round panes used in stained glass windows. His interest in the potential of natural gas to fire glass furnaces led him to Milton, where abundant reserves of the fuel had attracted a pool of skilled glassblowers. Under the name Eureka Glass, his company began making window glass in 1923, and in 1925, he was joined in the business by his son, William H. Blenko.
When the Great Depression quelled demand for stained glass, William J. Blenko brought local Milton glassblowers into the company to begin producing stem- and tableware, products for which the company, which changed its name to Blenko in 1930, is now best known. Up until the end of World War II, Blenko’s tableware designs were fairly straightforward, and they sold well at American department such as Gump’s, in San Francisco. The company was also commissioned in 1930 to produce a line of reproductions for Colonial Williamsburg.
In 1947, the company hired as its art director Winslow Anderson, who introduced artful, fanciful and modern vessels and objects in vibrant colors. This began what collectors refer to as Blenko’s “historic period.” A number of Anderson’s designs were honored by the Museum of Modern Art’s Good Design Awards in 1950, and throughout the 1950’s and ‘60s, the company enjoyed robust sales and critical acclaim. The forms Blenko produced during this period followed the contemporary vogue for biomorphism, or organic modernism, which favored rounded and fluid shapes inspired by nature.
One of Blenko’s most influential designers, Wayne Husted, who was active from 1953 to ’63, is credited with aligning Blenko’s products with the prevailing mid-century modern aesthetic by pushing the envelope on both form and color, particularly in his wedge-cut and Spool decanters and his Echoes series. Joel Philip Myers, who designed for Blenko in the 1960s, brought a sense of whimsy and visual excess to the product line, in keeping with the psychedelic look favored during the period.
Blenko Glass still produces many of its classic designs in items ranging from stemware and tableware to decorative objects and ornamental decanters. Among collectors, pieces created under Husted’s creative direction are of special interest. The company has come to the attention of younger audiences through the documentaries Blenko: Hearts of Glass and Blenko Retro: Three Designers of American Glass, both of which aired on PBS. Blenko also designed the glass award trophy for the Country Music Awards.
- Modern Acrylic Bookends, PairLocated in New York, NYA pair of clear acrylic bookends with Modern edge and jewel-like design, circa mid-20th century, 1960s. Each measure: 6" Height.Category
Mid-20th Century American Modern Bookends
MaterialsAcrylic, Lucite
$281 Sale Price / set25% Off - Geometric Abstract Bookends, PairLocated in New York, NYA substantial pair of metal bookends with a geometric abstract design and a copper-rose gold hue, in the Post-Modern Deconstructivist design style. Pair could work well as individual...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Post-Modern Bookends
MaterialsMetal
$469 Sale Price / set24% Off - Purple Amethyst Sculpture Bookends, PairLocated in New York, NYA beautiful and substantial pair of natural purple amethyst specimen bookends or sculptures/decorative objects, circa 20th century. Dimensions: 4" Width x 6" Height.Category
20th Century Organic Modern Bookends
MaterialsAmethyst, Crystal, Quartz
$975 / set - Art Deco Modern Bookends, PairLocated in New York, NYA pair of Art Deco modern oak or maple wood bookends, circa early to mid-20th century. Dimensions: 4.5" Width x 5.75" Height.Category
20th Century American Art Deco Bookends
MaterialsMaple, Oak, Wood
$650 / set - Italian Red Leather and Gold Bookends, PairLocated in New York, NYA set of red leather and gold embossed bookends, circa mid-20th century, Italy. A great set for an office, library, bookshelf, etc. Dimension: 5.75" HCategory
Mid-20th Century Italian Bookends
MaterialsGold
$540 Sale Price / set20% Off - Italian Verde Dark Green Marble Bookends, PairLocated in New York, NYA pair of Italian dark green verde marble bookends in a classic design style, circa mid to late-20th century, 1970s, Italy. Beautifully carved details from one piece of marble. Dimen...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Classical Roman Bookends
MaterialsMarble
- Handmade Glass Bookends by Blenko - a PairBy Blenko GlassLocated in Miami, FLPair of handmade glass bookends with smooth top and textured sides by Blenko Glass, USA circa 1980s. Measurement for each block: w3.5" d4" h3.75"Category
Late 20th Century American Modern Bookends
MaterialsGlass
$396 Sale Price20% Off - Blenko Glass Ship Bookends, a PairBy Blenko GlassLocated in Bradenton, FLA pair of round art glass bookends made by Blenko. Decorated with ships at full sail above a stretch of water in textured relief. Dimensions per bookendCategory
Late 20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Bookends
MaterialsGlass
$325 / set - Pair of Midcentury Glass Owl Bookends by BlenkoBy Blenko GlassLocated in San Diego, CAMidcentury pair of handblown owl bookends by Blenko, circa 1960s. The bookends are heavy and solid with a smooth back side a finish and a textural finish on the front. Very cool deco...Category
Mid-20th Century North American Mid-Century Modern Bookends
MaterialsBlown Glass
$375 Sale Price / set21% Off - Blenko Glass Fish BookendsBy Blenko GlassLocated in New York, NYMidcentury solid cast glass bookends depicting a fish in bas relief technique.Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Bookends
MaterialsGlass
$348 Sale Price / set25% Off - Solid Glass Block Bookends By BlenkoBy Blenko GlassLocated in Costa Mesa, CASolid Glass Block Bookends By Blenko, textured edge.Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Bookends
MaterialsGlass
$220 Sale Price / set20% Off - Blenko Clear Glass Half Circle Bookends, PairBy Wayne Husted, Blenko GlassLocated in Fort Lauderdale, FLPair of vintage handmade half circle bookends in solid glass by Blenko. Both with original foil label.Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Bookends
MaterialsGlass, Art Glass