Circa 1960, clear cased with blue and yellow interior respectively, both signed Kosta LH and no. 1655/41 and /21.

Dimensions: 10.7cm high

The William "Bill" Davies Collection of Scandinavian Glass.

Bill Davies led a very successful career as an architect, primarily working in his native Wales, with his most celebrated project being the Plas Menai complex situated on the Menai Strait which serves as the National Watersports Centre for Wales and has been awarded Grade II and II* status - it was described as 'arguably the most admired and influential building completed in Wales in the last quarter of the twentieth century’ by Professor Richard Weston*. Bill was also commissioned for architectural work by Cardiff University and indeed served as a Lecturer in Design at the institution, playing a major part in developing the course into one of the highest rated in the United Kingdom.

His major inspirations were the celebrated American architect Frank Lloyd Wright and the leading Finnish designer Alvar Aalto: from this stemmed Bill's enthusiasm for all aspects of mid-century design with the glass of Scandinavia becoming his particular passion, or rather, obsession. Invariably accompanied by his beloved late wife Maureen, Bill attended glass fairs around the UK and made buying trips to Scandinavia, amassing his extensive collection with a keen eye and canny judgement that pre-empted market trends by decades with his focus on Vicke Lindstrand, Oiva Toikka, Tapio Wirkkala, Timo Sarpaneva and many other notable designers.

Wilson55 Auctioneers & Valuers are honoured to have been instructed to bring the William "Bill" Davies Collection of Scandinavian Glass to auction as part of our 4th December Modern Art & Design sale and we hope that you enjoy browsing this fantastic collection.

*Credit: Twentieth Century Society