Ettore Sottsass, Sol, 1982

White glass fruit bowl on a foot with coloured components, 25.1 × 27 cm, V259 (KN&V)
COLLECTION Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen

creation

making process

Material coloured glass, opaque, transparent red, transparent green, transparent blue
Technique mould blown and free blown
Hot working application of coloured components

• making techniques Ettore Sottsass, Sol, 1982

Sol by Sottsass was made at the Toso Vetri d’Arte glassworks.
This work is in the collection of the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, which explains that Sottsass did not use the traditional techniques of Murano glassmakers but a cold-bonding technique, probably to join the different components.

An examination of the Sol fruit bowl in the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen collection shows that all the components are made of glass and were joined using hot-working techniques. This is remarkable because the Murano glassmakers must have found glass formulas for different colours that respond in the same way to heating and cooling processes. (see also the XRF documents). It also demonstrates the level of technical skill that Murano’s glassmakers possess.

(art) history

Ettore Sottsass always began by making sketches, which glassmakers then executed. He was an architect, industrial designer and designer who created a wide range of objects. He studied at the Politecnico di Torino and was a co-founder of the Memphis Group (Michele de Lucchi, George Sowden, Martine Bedin, Peter Shire and Nathalie du Pasquier), a design and architecture collective launched in 1981. The movement was known for its bold colour palette and geometric patterns, which combine playfulness with a light-hearted celebration of fun.

conservation

research & diagnosis

technical analysis

visual examination

b.5 dust, dirt or stain(s), c.2 slippery surface, c.3.2 dust deposits

Mapping the condition shows that slipperiness varies by colour (glass type). Slippery: inside of the bowl, underside of the bowl, underside of the red foot, red and green ornaments, the white ornament perhaps slightly, the transparent attachment points of the ornaments on the foot and bowl, the transparent connecting section between the bowl and foot.
Not slippery: white ornamental rim of the bowl, blue triangles on the bowl, white rim along the outer edge of the bowl, upper part of the red foot, white rim along the foot.

IC analysis of ion concentrations on the surface

The IC analysis shows relatively high concentrations of sodium ions on the surface. Concentrations were measured in 2017 and 2020. An increase was observed.

• IC Form

pXRF analysis of the composition

Made from different types of glass.
Category I
Blue triangles = Soda-lime glass with arsenic and antimony (coloured with copper)
Colourless stem and colourless top layer of bowl = Soda-lime glass with arsenic and antimony
Green strand = Soda-lime glass with arsenic and antimony (coloured with chrome and copper)
White strand = Soda-lime glass with arsenic and antimony (no opacifier detected)

Category II
Red strand = Soda-lime glass with arsenic and antimony. Seems to be layered glass: BaO and Cd detected in core of the glass, not on surface. No selenide for this red.

Category III
Red rim on bowl = mixed alkali (lead free crystal) with zinc and barium (coloured with cadmium selenide)

Category IV
White element on rim of bowl = Lead glass (Crystal) (no opacifier detected)

Most parts of the bowl are made of soda-lime glass, but the white worm on the rim of the bowl is made of lead crystal. The green tubular strand is coloured by copper and chromium, and the blue triangles by copper. No colouring element was detected in the blue bowl, but a layer of colourless glass is probably present over the blue glass. No elements were detected in the red and white tubular strands that could explain their colour.

• XRF Form – blue triangle
• XRF Form – cilinder & bowl
• XRF Form – red section at the bottom
• XRF Form – green strand
• XRF Form – red strand
• XRF Form – white strand
• XRF Form – white ring, bottom edge

Previous treatments

The object was cleaned ‘to a limited extent’ in 2013 with a 2:1 mix of demineralised water and ethanol. The cleaning method is unknown, and the reason for this concentration is unknown.

Condition diagnosis

Condition (visual) very poor
Condition (IC) likely unstable

(Click on photos to enlarge)

advice & treatment

Suggestions for packaging, handling, storage and transport

Advice: record the vulnerabilities of this object in the (museum) documentation system and/or at the relevant location in the (museum) storage facility. Note that it is slippery and must be handled with care.

If you need to touch the object, bear in mind that it is slippery due to ions on the glass surface. Take care when using nitrile gloves! Keep the object in a basket or tray or on a trolley when moving it.

Keep the object in a separate cabinet with other unstable glass. Ensure the object is positioned so that its condition can be easily monitored and that it is readily accessible for inspection.

Suggestions for monitoring the environment and climate

Keep the object in a stable environment with minimal fluctuations in humidity and temperature. It is highly advisable to monitor both the condition of the object and the climatic conditions regularly to detect changes at an early stage and to analyse any links with the environmental conditions.

Suggestions for treatment

Research indicates that the condition of the object is deteriorating. The concentration of ions on the glass surface has begun to rise again following a previous cleaning treatment. This deterioration is currently being investigated to devise specific cleaning strategies. Cleaning the object is advisable because droplets on the surface contribute to further degradation.

Only a glass conservator can determine whether cleaning is desirable and feasible, which method to use and how to closely monitor the condition.
If undertaken, only a glass conservator should clean the glass.

Suggestions for further research

Further research into glass instability, particularly in relation to cleaning, and into the storage of unstable glass is urgently needed.