Monica Backström 'Ägg'

A limited edition ‘Ägg’ (Egg) designed by Monica Backström circa 1985.

In the mid-1970s, when the "green wave" swept over Sweden, Backström, who had lived in the countryside for many years, readily turned to nature for her main inspiration. Growing and foraging food were a part of her everyday life and Backström was “[…] constantly amazed that a tiny seed can survive, germinate, grow into a flower and ripen as a fruit […]”. 1

Backström was fascinated by the miracle of life and was strongly protective of the environment, and from this her art glass Eggs and Mushrooms were conceived. The Eggs remain her most well-known designs from the 1970s. Indeed, the standard production pieces (4 standing eggs in 5 colours + 2 laying eggs in 3 colours) were enormously successful and were made by Kosta Boda for around a decade.

In the early-1980s, in addition to the normal production, the glassworks crafted some unique and limited edition Eggs designed by Backström. This Egg is from a limited edition of 300. Inside the brilliantly clear glass shell are dozens of multicoloured glass cane rods. The slender sticks in vibrant tones of red, yellow, green, and blue stand together but point in every direction like an explosion suspended in motion. Adding to the designs’ sense of dynamism is the fact that the shell is rippled, a result of the glass being hand-blown. View this items' even larger sibling at the Victoria and Albert Museum.

1. Nationalmuseum, Sweden.