Decanter
- Designed by
- Timo Sarpaneva (1926–2006)
- Material
- Glass
- Produced by
- Iittala Lasitehdas, Iittala, Finland
- Dimensions
- 16 x 11 x 11 cm
The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, the Liliane and David M. Stewart Collection, gift of Geoffrey Bradfield, D86.137.1
Sarpaneva designed a series of decanters ranging from tall and slender to short and stout like this example. As a group, or singly, the decanters evoke the classic beauty of Scandinavian design at midcentury. Although they appear to be handmade, they are actually industrially produced in series.
The small spout and the absence of handles were characteristics of Scandinavian glass at the time and helped achieve the minimalism sought at midcentury. The designs are sleek, elegant, and timeless, appropriate for contemporary interiors of today as well as the modern interiors of the 1950s.
The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, photo: Denis Farley.