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REVIEWS - Kosta Boda Chateau Flute
Product Details :
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00063R004?tag=refinery2901-20
Average Customer Rating
5.0 out of 5
Product Feature
Swirled champagne flute; 8-7/8 inches high;q
5-1/4-ounce capacity
Designed by artist Bertil Vallien; coordinates withq
Chateau beverage line
Handmade by master glassmakers in Kosta Boda'sq
Swedish glassworks
Each edition is distinctive and original inq
appearance
Completely lead-free materials; washing by handq
recommended
Product Description
Flute Champagnes - Designed By Bertil Vallien - The Very Name Of This Kosta Boda Classic Evokes
Winegrowing Estates And Tranquil Countryside. Wines And Spirits Just Look, Smell And Taste Better In The

2. Proper Crystal: Th
Product Description
Created by Bertil Vallien, one of Sweden's premier glass designers, the Chateau beverage line explores the
interplay between art and function. Strikingly clear with elegant profiles and polished rims, the design features
a beautifully understated swirl that generates subtle dynamism and complements tableware from classic to
modern. An exhaustive selection, Chateau includes glasses suited to everything from ice water to aperitifs, as
well as pouring vessels to complete the collection. Crafted by master glassmakers in Kosta Boda's Swedish
glassworks, each piece is entirely lead-free and made by hand for subtle distinctions.
Perfect for party toasts and intimate sipping, the Chateau flute features a classically elongated shape that is
comfortable to drink from. Fitted with a slender stem yet reliably stable, the piece is an ideal companion to
effervescent vintages. It stands 8-7/8 inches high, holds 5-1/4 ounces, and should be washed by hand for best
results. --Emily Bedard
From the Manufacturer
About the Designer
Born in 1938, Bertil Vallien has been retained by Kosta
Boda since 1963. By far the most internationally celebrated glass artist and designer in Sweden, he has
received numerous awards, and his work is well represented in leading museums around the world. He is
known most of all as the master of sand molding. His solid, deep blue, 4-meter-long ship has become part of
modern glass history. His creations in recent years include Heads, a long series of enigmatic, solid blue glass
heads of different sizes. He works in a mythical, dreamlike world of symbolic imagery. He undertakes what he
himself describes as a never-ending research quest, in close cooperation with his loyal coworkers at Åfors
glassworks, several of whom have worked with Vallien for four decades. Aside from his artistic work, he is a
highly skilled and successful industrial designer, and his creations include Château, one of the best-selling
ranges of handmade glasses over the years.
About Kosta Boda
With characteristic craftsmanship and good design, Kosta Boda has become one of the leading glasshouses in
the world. The company's three glassworks in the villages of Kosta, Boda, and Åfors each have exciting
individual stories of their own yet stand together under the common brand name Kosta Boda. The corps of
designers currently on retainer at Kosta Boda works with both utilitarian and art glass.
Glass results from a great many meetings between people--artists, craftspeople, and lovers of glass. The artists
of Kosta Boda have a decisive role to play in all the creative stages of the process. The cooperation between
the designers and the skilled craftspeople is very close; indeed, it is essential if the designers are to transfer
their intentions to the glass.
The History of Kosta Boda
Kosta, the parent glassworks of Kosta Boda and the oldest glassworks in Sweden still in operation, has a
fascinating history that forms a valuable part of Swedish cultural heritage. The glassworks was founded in 1742

3. by the governors of the counties of Kronoberg and Kalmar, Anders Koskull and Georg Bogislaus Stael von
Holstein, both former generals in the army of Karl XII and distinguished veterans of the battle of Narva, among
others.
The two county governors founded the glassworks upon the instructions of Fredrik I and modeled it on
Continental glassworks. The works was situated deep in the spruce forests of Småland, on a site midway
between the two country towns, and near a village that was then known as Dåfvedshult. The main reason for
choosing this location was the unlimited availability of wood. Enormous quantities of wood were naturally
required to keep the glassmaking furnaces burning day and night.
Both of the founders wanted their names to be remembered, so the works was christened Kosta, from the initial
letters--Ko and Sta--of the surnames of both the Carolinian generals. After a time the entire community was
renamed after the growing glassworks.
During the first 150 years, the glassworks in Kosta produced only utility glass, including window glass for the
building of Tessin's Royal Palace, bottles and glass for the royal household, and chandeliers for churches. The
first glassblowers were immigrant glass masters from Böhmen. They became the founding fathers of the
glassblowing families, which passed down craft skills from generation to generation. Swedish sand was used to
manufacture crystal glass, but nowadays pure silica sand is imported from Belgium, since the Swedish sand
contains iron oxide that gives the glass a green tinge.
Under the management of glass masters from Kosta, a succession of glassworks sprang up in the forests of
Småland in the regions around Växjö and Kalmar. Kosta therefore has good reason to call itself the parent
works of the entire Swedish Kingdom of Crystal.

4. Until the end of the 19th century, the glass from Kosta was designed by the glassblowers themselves. At the
Stockholm exhibition in 1897, the glassworks was criticized for the uniformity of its glass, which led to the idea
of enlisting designers and artists in production. The first designer to be employed by Kosta was Gunnar
Wennerberg. The year was 1898. Ever since then a large number of artists and designers have enriched the
glassmaking tradition of the works with their artistic talents. Today Kosta Boda has a unique right to describe
itself as an art industry, in which designers and craftspeople work closely together in the ongoing development
of handmade utility glass and art glass. This diversity of individual artistic expression and the free and
uninhibited creative process have become the distinguishing characteristics of the Kosta Boda brand.
In addition to the parent works in Kosta, Kosta Boda today includes the two "daughter works" of Boda (founded
in 1864) and Åfors (founded in 1876), a partnership that was formed in 1964. Both Boda and Åfors were
originally relatively simple glassworks that manufactured utility glass. Boda experienced a period of glory in the
1960s and 1970s, under the innovative and dynamic artistic leadership of Erik Höglund, a heritage carried on
by Kjell Engman and Monica Backström. Åfors has been the home of the designer couple Ulrica Hydman-Vallien
and Bertil Vallien, who, together with Gunnel Sahlin and Olle Brozén, brought a renaissance to the small
glassworks and local community. In 1990 Kosta was acquired by its former competitor Orrefors. Orrefors/Kosta
Boda was in turn acquired by the Danish company Royal Copenhagen in 1997, and the design group Royal
Scandinavia was formed. The group also includes Georg Jensen, Royal Copenhagen, and Holmegaard.
Colorful, handmade art glass from the works in Kosta, Boda, and Åfors have made Kosta Boda one of Sweden's
strongest brands and one of the world's leading glass companies. Glass from Kosta Boda is sold all over the
world. Roughly 50 percent of production is sold outside Scandinavia, with some of the biggest markets in the
U.S., Japan, Germany, and Australia. The origins of this glass, the living tradition of craftsmanship developed in
the glassworks in Kosta, Boda, and Åfors, is a heritage that every Swede has a right to feel proud of.
Taking Care of Kosta Boda Pieces
Handmade and hand-painted glass (especially the latter) does not do well in the dishwasher. Wash by hand in
hot water--though not too hot--with a little washing-up liquid. Washing in very hot water will eventually destroy
the luster of the glass. Rinse in water of about the same temperature as you washed it in. To avoid cracking the
glass, make sure you do not expose it to excessive temperature differences. To avoid lines, dry with a soft cloth
that won't shed lint. The edge of the glass is its most fragile part. When you put the glass back in the cupboard,
stand it on its foot and make sure the edge does not come into contact with other glasses or objects.
The Mark or Signature on Kosta Boda Pieces
Products are marked with the words Kosta Boda, the name of the artist, and the article number (seven digits).
Painted pieces are signed with a painted signature with the designer's and the painter's initials. Engraved
pieces also have the engraver's signature near the designer's name.
Besides designing glass for the regular Kosta Boda collection, our artists are also free to work with art
glass--limited-edition, specially signed pieces that are often much sought after by collectors. Kosta Boda art
glass is divided into two categories: unique pieces and limited editions. Unique pieces are, of course, just that.
No more than one piece is made of any particular item. Limited editions are manufactured in runs of between
25 and 1,000 pieces. All art glass is marked with the product number, the name of the artist, and the size of the
edition so that the purchaser will know exactly how many pieces there are in that particular series. Editions
comprising less than 60 pieces are individually numbered, e.g. "25/60."