Art Glass Paperweight by Orient & Flume
Art Glass Paperweight by Orient & Flume
Geometric Blue and Gold 1974, 2 7/8 - inches.
Pre-owned. Condition is excellent. Blues, gold swirl pattern. Signed and numbered Orient & Flume MF 382 At 74.
Orient & Flume is one of the great contemporary American glass studios. It was founded in 1972 in an old carriage house between Orient Street and Flume Street, in Chico, California, but later moved to its current premises at 2161 Park Avenue, Chico.
The work of Orient & Flume can be found in the permanent collections of the Metropolitan Museum, the Smithsonian Museum, the Chicago Art Institute, the Chrysler Museum, the Corning Glass Museum and fine stores and galleries throughout the world.
In the early 1800’s, Chico was an important center for gold mining, railroad construction and ranching. By the late 1800's, Chico had grown into a charming Victorian community. The quaint atmosphere soon created one of the most distinctive valley towns in California.
About 1893, one characteristic home with a carriage house was built in the historic Oriental section of town. Located between Orient Street and Flume Street, this site was destined to play an important role in the story Orient & Flume. In l972, the house was purchased by Douglas Boyd and was transformed into an art glass studio.
Early work of the studio was directed toward recreating the silver-luster of iridescent glass of such turn-of-the-century artists as Tiffany, Steuben, and Loetz. In time, this led to their current creations of intricate, three-dimensional design's encased in clear glass.
