Eskimo woman's leather breech

The Aalto Vase a piece of glassware created by Alvar Aalto and his wife Aino Marsio that has become an internationally known iconic piece of Finnish design. It was one of custom furnishings created for the luxury Savoy restaurant in Helsinki that opened in 1937.

The design was inspired by the dress of a Sami woman. Called the Eskimo woman's leather breech, the design consisted of a series of crayon drawings on cardboard and scratch paper. Aalto created initial prototypes by blowing glass in the middle of a composition of wooden sticks stuck into the ground, letting the molten glass swell on only some sides and creating a wavy outline. The initial manufacture of the vase was not without problems and the original idea of using molds made of thin steel sheets forced together to form closed sinuous shapes had to be abandoned. The vase was originally manufactured by the glassworks factory using a wood mold which was slowly burned away.
This vase was later displayed for the 1937 World's Fair in Paris.


The vase has been manufactured in nearly a full spectrum of colours. The simplicity of the vase continues to be popular in the 21st century.

How the Aalto vase is made

Took the picture at Stockmann department store - we don't have Aalto Vase at home.

It was the third geocaching course evening today.


+1° C, cloudy