This mid-century modern art glass console bowl is an exceptional piece of American studio craftsmanship, attributed to Erickson Glassworks of Bremen, Ohio. Founded by Swedish-born master glassblower Carl Erickson in 1943, the studio became highly renowned for adapting refined Scandinavian hand-blowing techniques to modernist, heavy-walled organic aesthetics. This piece wonderfully showcases Erickson’s signature "bullicante" or controlled bubble technique, where an even ring of small, perfectly spaced air pockets is meticulously trapped within the dense gray glass base. The sophisticated smoky charcoal colorway adds an elegant, atmospheric tone to the glass, which beautifully transitions from the heavy circular foot into a dramatic, hand-crimped ruffled rim that catches the light from every angle.
Crafted during the peak production era of the 1950s, the bowl's substantial weight and flawless symmetry speak to the rigorous hand-manipulated process required to achieve its form. The underside displays a characteristic smooth, polished ground pontil scar, which indicates that the vessel was held on a pontil rod during its final shaping and free-form hand-tooling. The elegant, organic fluting of the rim provides a delicate contrast to the dense, structural geometry of the bubble-encased base, making it a stunning centerpiece, table dish, or catchall for a modernist credenza.
This piece measures approximately 5 inches in height, 9.5 inches in width, 9.5 inches in depth, and weighs 3.4 pounds.