A beautiful Helena Tynell engraved Bird Tree dish. Many consider this to be amongst the most beautiful Helena Tynell engraved art pieces and one of the most sought-after Finnish pieces. A perfect gift for glass collectors or even just bird lovers. The dish has been designed by Helena Tynell in the early 1950s and this is an early version with the signature dated 1953. The engravings for her pieces were very demanding and were mostly done by master engraver Theodor Käppi. This particular design was considered the fruit of the combined effort of both her as a designer and him as a master engraver and has been subsequently signed by both Helena Tynell and Theodor Käppi / Riihimäen Lasi Oy 1953.
The piece has a few scratches, but that is expected on these rare dish items that are over 70 years old.
Helena Tynell (1918-2016), Paavo Tynell´s wife was a notable Finnish glass designer who has been described as a pioneer of Finnish glass art. She started her career for the Arabia factory, a leading Finnish housewares and ceramics manufacturer. At the same time she worked for Taito, a design firm part owned by her future husband Paavo Tynell.
In 1946, having decided to focus exclusively on glass, she left Arabia to join Riihimäki Glass, where she stayed for most of her career and created many of her most notable designs.
Tynell`s works can be found in many museums, including the Design Museum Helsinki, the National museum in Stockholm, and the Corning Museum of Glass in Corning, NY, USA.