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Description, References and Size

This is a heavy decanter blown into a four sided mould and engraved with a two tailed mermaid on one side, it has a rounded column stopper. It has scratched underneath "Orrefors 11-131a" and is designed by Simon Gate in 1937, model G 1793.

I have tried to use the number on the bottle to find more information about it, but I have no experience of this and Orrefors used different numbering systems in different factories and I haven't been able to figure it out.

I would like to thank Frankie Lidman from the Swedish Glass Facebook group for helping to ID this decanter more accurately.

Height: 13 inches

Width: 4.75 inches

This is a heavy ovoid decanter engraved with a pair of pheasants in a natural setting and has a faceted hexagonal stopper. It has scratched underneath "Orrefors.P3881.D3.95" and is designed by Sven Palmqvist in 1964.

I don't think the design of this decanter is as strong as the one above or below, somehow the stopper doesn't go with the body and the pheasant engraving it not as cool as the mermaid picture.

The web site www.swedishglass.com website can be used to date and attribute the designer to Orrefors glass from the numbers marked on it. It doesn't seem to work in all cases, but it did in with this one.

Height: 13 inches

Width: 4.75 inches

This is a heavy decanter blown into a four sided mould, it has a slab cut oblong stopper. It has scratched underneath "Orrefors 32753" and possibly designed by Edvard Hald.

This is one of a series of these slab decanters that come in different shapes, longer, shorter, longer necked, etc... As I mentioned, the reference scratched on the bottom of glass items is not always helpful, and in this case it bares no resemblance to the number system you can date glass from. I have qualified that designer as "possibly" because I got his name from a glass replacement site, and I am uncertain of it's reliabilty as a reference.

Height: 10 inches

Width: 4.75 inches

This is a grey decanter with a rounded bi-conical shape, no pouring lip and a rounded column stopper. It has scratched underneath "Orrefors 11-131a" and is designed by Ernst Gordon.

I have tried to use the number on the bottle to find more information about it, but I have no experience of this and Orrefors used different numbering systems in different factories and I haven't been able to figure it out.

I know this was designed by the AFORS factory as I have seen this decanter with AFORS labels on it. What I now haven't been able to work out is when AFORS started labelling as Orrefors.

I would like to thank Victor Dahlberg for identifying the designer.

Height: 13 inches

Width: 4.75 inches

These are Orrefors Rhapsody pattern gray cylinder shaped decanters with a convex slope to the neck. The stopper has a convex slope coming to a point surmounted by a ball finial. This decanter was designed for Orrefors by Sven Palmqvist, in 1959. Orrefors pattern number PS1850.

You see quite a number of these around so they must have been very popular. It also comes in clear glass and different sizes. It would be possible to make a set of these with glasses. There are a number of reasonably common grey period decanters from the 1960s-70s time but if you wanted this period look, I would say this is the most stylish to go for.

Reference: Miller's 20th Century Glass, Andy McConnell, page 193

Height: 10 inches

Width: 4.5 inches

These are Orrefors Rhapsody pattern cylinder shaped decanters with a convex slope to the neck. The stopper has a convex slope coming to a point surmounted by a ball finial. This decanter was designed for Orrefors by Sven Palmqvist, in 1959. Orrefors pattern number PS1850.

This is the clear version of the decanters and they look just as good as the grey versions.

As you can see I have two different sizes of the two colours of the decanters, but there are actually three sizes, plus two sizes of carafe, three sizes of jug, 15 types of glass, and four types of jug. If you wanted to kit your table out like some sort of 1960s Victorian throwback, you could give it a go with this. I do it all the time but with 1930s glass.

Reference: Miller's 20th Century Glass, Andy McConnell, page 193

Height: 10 inches

Width: 4.5 inches

This is an Orrefors Rhapsody pattern liquor glass. This glass was designed for Orrefors by Sven Palmqvist, in 1959. Orrefors pattern number PS1850.

You see loads of these glasses floating around in charity shops and antique centres, and most people don't know what they are. Pick it up and if feels like a good quality thing, get it to the till quick before anyone else realises.

Reference: Miller's 20th Century Glass, Andy McConnell, page 193

Height: 7.5 inches

Width: 5 inches

This is a pale brown pedestal decanter with a rounded bi-conical shape, a stepped foot and wrythen stem and a wrythen cone shaped stopper. Designed by Simon Gate in the 1920s.

What makes this decanter a bit special is the date that I have attributed to it. This decanter is pushing at the boundaries of design at the time it was made. It is not art deco, but looking to even simpler design. It is also huge which have made it stand out even more at the time it made.

This decanter appears in the Orrefors 1926 catalogue with the disignation G520.

Reference: Miller's Glass of the 20's and 30's, Frankie Leibe, page 55

Reference: Orrefors Sandvikglass 1926 catalogue

Height: 15.75 inches

Width: 4.5 inches

This is a brown footed decanter with an elliptical body long neck and pressed leaf stopper. Designed by Simon Gate or Edvard Hald in the 1920s.

This decanter appears in the Orrefors 1926 catalogue with the disignation G521. It comes in two sizes and I believe this is the larger one even though measurements are not given.

At a later date this decanter and the glasses that go with it are assigned the name "Astrid".

Reference: Orrefors Sandvikglass 1926 catalogue

Height: 14 inches

Width: 3.5 inches

This is a brown footed decanter with a teardrop body, an annulated ring on the neck and blown stopper with an annulated ring. Designed by Simon Gate or Edvard Hald in the 1920s.

This decanter appears in the Orrefors 1926 catalogue with the disignation G847.

Reference: Orrefors Sandvikglass 1926 catalogue

Height: 11.25 inches

Width: 3.75 inches

This is a brown wine glass with an ovoid bowl and ball knop. Designed by Simon Gate or Edvard Hald in the 1920s.

This glass appears in the Orrefors 1926 catalogue with the disignation G646/3. This glass was purchased as a set of 6 with the decanter above and is a colour match for it, however, in the catalogue different glass are shown on the page this decanter. This is conjecture on my part but I suspect they were bought together, but that would mean they are not sold as decanter sets but as separate items that you can mix and match with.

Reference: Orrefors Sandvikglass 1926 catalogue

Height: 3.5 inches

Width: 2.75 inches

This is a smokey grey schnapps glass called Mirabel made circa.1960s.

I can't find these glasses in any reference books but you can find them in various shops that sell replacement glass. They were a charity shop speculative buy, I had no idea what they were apart from they were quality and stylish and part of the fun is finding things like this and figuring what they are. I know they are schnapps glasses because that is wha this size was classed, and although they are tall they don't hold alot so that rings true.

Height: 6.25 inches

Width: 2.25 inches