Edward Hald

Edward Hald (1883-1980) trained as an architect and painter. He studied in Dresden, Stockholm, Copenhagen and Paris. The time in Copenhagen included work under Johan Rohde; in Paris he worked under Matisse. In 1917, Hald worked briefly at Rorstrand, and then began his long association with Orrefors.

At the time Edward Hald joined Orrefors in 1917, the early experiments of Simon Gate and the master glassblower, Knudt Bergkvist, for the Graal technique were still evolving. The Graal technique used acid etching or wheel carving to create thin designs in relief on the surface of multilayer, glass blanks. The carved blanks were then heated to a molten state by glassblowers, encased with an additional layer of clear glass to entrap the design, and finally worked with blowing to a finished state. The result was literally, "painting within the glass".

Edward Hald created some of the earliest designs to use the Graal method. He continued to work in Graal throughout his long career, including the heavy "Fish Graal" pieces first shown in 1937. Also "Slip Graal" and "Aqua Graal" were favored techniques. Hald also designed many important engraved pieces such as the "Fireworks" bowl. He retired from Orrefors in 1978.

Works by Edward Hald