as objects and to furnish homes . Indeed , glass seemed to exist in a realm adjacent to alchemy – imagine creating something so remarkable out of almost nothing !
Glass production in Sweden developed surprisingly early , given the country ’ s peripheral location relative to the center of glassmaking knowledge to the south . Or perhaps that is precisely why it happened – in Sweden , people with this knowledge had the opportunity to develop it . As early as the Middle Ages , window glass for churches and monasteries was made locally . It was likely glassmakers from the Netherlands who brought this newly acquired knowledge to the north and found a market where numerous churches were being built .
Glass for the king – 16th century The decision to replace wooden cups with glass drinkware at the Three Crowns castle in Stockholm is often ascribed to Gustav Vasa , who also furnished all the royal palaces with window glass . Imported goods were used at first , and then two Italian glaziers set up production in Stockholm in the early sixteenth century , in order to secure access . At this point , the glass still wasn ’ t as artistically inclined as it was in the European glass centers – but it had definitely found its way to Sweden . And the forest is what made its production possible , because even though the individual components of glass are inexpensive , vast quantities of energy are required to manufacture it . Thus , countries like England and Ireland did not establish any sizable glass production factories domestically before coal and Industrialism , due quite simply to the lack of forest . In some cases , glass production was even prohibited there .
New ideas – entering the 20th century Industrialism was moving through the country full speed ahead , and consumption of goods was spreading from society ’ s upper classes to more and more people . Fueling the production process were forests and hydropower . The raw materials comprised everything available : wool , flax , wood , metal , clay – and lime , soda and sand for glass . As an industrial product , glass became a significant part of modernity . Public schools , studies , public discussion and health and medical care were all being established – kerosene lamps were suddenly needed everywhere . Glass served an important role in health and medical care for another reason as well : laboratory glass and thermometers , test tubes and microscope lenses – glass is essential to all scientific achievements .
Many people were giddy with faith in the future , but at the same time , that created conflicts , which Johan Ekman , the owner of Orrefors Glassworks , and Albert Ahlin , director of the pulp mill , knew . A lot of bold , foolhardy and brilliant ideas saw the light of day only to leave inventors and investors destitute . Modernity also brought poverty , misery and war to Europe . With industrialism , a proletariat had emerged – a working class that provided cheap labor , but that was also in distress . Large groups of people emigrated from Småland to America ; others began to organize . There were agitators and preachers , but also discussions , social life and the daily struggle for a better living . How could all of these contradictory wants and needs be united and defined in Orrefors ?
The artists arrive – 1910s Glass had evolved and was hotter than ever when Albert Ahlin , then director of the cellulose factory , entered the world of glass production in the early-twentieth century . But what would Orrefors ’ niche be ? Ahlin was likely inspired by the intellectual tides of the day . And he knew that he needed help . Through personal contacts , the artist Simon Gate , who had trained at what are now the University of Arts , Crafts & Design and the Royal Institute of Art , came to Orrefors as an aesthetics consultant . Gate was a drawer and painter , but he had never worked with glass . However , like so many others , he was fascinated by the material and its possibilities . He was hired as artistic director in 1916 . Gate ’ s aesthetic manifested first in the detailed engraved patterns on glass and gradually in complex
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