Willem Heesen, Unique glass object, 'Ship that passes in the night', De Oude Horn, 2000

One-off conical shaped bowl with thick transparent and blue glass. Dutch glass artist Willem Heesen made it in his studio De Oude Horn. The object is freely shaped and has a diamond-incised signature on the bottom. Willem Heesen (Utrecht 1925-2007) was one of the pioneers of free glass art. His influence on the studio glass movement was undeniably great. Many museums all-over the world have purchased work by Heesen. In 1967 Heesen became head designer of the art glass department of the Glasfabriek Leerdam (Leerdam Glass Factory). In 1978 he founded his own glass studio De Oude Horn in an old water mill at the river Linge, not far from the glass factory. He was deeply inspired by the surrounding landscapes. Photo: Erik Rijper