This is a fine pair of vintage 1950s / 1960s candle holders in the shape of round balls. Each has an indentation in the top where the candle would sit.
I am not sure of their origin - but think that they are probably Swedish in origin and they were imported into the UK by J. Wuidart & Co. Ltd.
The company was located at 26 - 28 Bartletts Buildings at Holborn Circus in London. They were established in 1869 and imported Scandinavian glass for retail.
In the 1930s they commissioned James Powell and Sons (Whitefriars) to supply Barnaby Powell glass for resale.
They traded with Kosta and Orrefors. It appears that the Company, under the auspices of the English glass maestro, Ronald Stennett-Willson (joint Managing Director) was active in designed and making glass for Wuidare. He went to Sweden in the 1950s to look at designs and techniques of Swedish glassmaking.
They had in their production in some of the Swedish and other Scandinavian "glasbruk" Glassworks like Alsterfors, Björkshult, Ekenäs, Strömbergshyttan and Johansfors - so I would imagine that my candleholders came from one of these factories.
Wuidart seems to have been in existence still in 1968 - about the time that Stennett-Wilson left and set up Kings Lynn Glass from 1967 - 1969. They were eventually completely taken over by Caithness Glass.
I have a number of these which I have collected over a long time - years in fact! Some have little remnants of old paper labels for Wuidart. I have decided to sell my collection as I have no room now to display it properly - so popping it onto my online store to find a new home for it.
These candleholders are now hard to find - all are in an excellent vintage condition - and this is reflected in my asking price. I am looking for about £45 each for each glass ball. They remind me a little of hanging Christmas balls designed by Holmegaard.
On offer here are two matching candleholder globes. The bottom is a yellow shade that merges into a tangerine to the top - there are light stripes of darker orange running from top to bottom. On the base is a rough pontil mark where the hand-blown balls have been broken from the glass blower's rod. There is a deep dimple in the top on each ball - where you pop a pillar candle - you don't have to use them as a candlestick - I just had them on display as an ornamental piece of glass.
Dimensions: Height is 2 3/4 inches (7 cm). The diameter is roughly 3 3/4 inches (9.5 cm).
This pair are Code: AA