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Sarpaneva in particular played a crucial role in the elevation of Scandinavian designer glass from functional household necessity to sculptural art. He achieved this through an involvement with Iittala that was prolonged and intense, Even if his Lansetti I and Orkidea designs were, strictly speaking, vessels on account of the inclusion of void space in their interiors, they were completely impractical for use as vases. These decorative cased glass sculptures formed part of Sarpaneva's prize–winning exhibit at the 1954 Milan Triennale.

Sarpaneva's Arkipelago range combines controlled bubble inclusions with a wavy, ridged surface-the small shot glasses juxtapose cast stems decorated in this manner with clear, unblemished blown bowls. However, one of Sarpaneva's most successful designs was his 1967 Festivo candlestick, cast in a charred wood mold in a similar fashion to his signature Finlandia line of 1964. Tapio Wirkkala used a series of fine cuts, comparable to the Inciso technique used by Murano factories, to produce his Kantarelli (Chanterelle) bowl, in which the unpolished vertical lines echo the flutes of the chanterelle mushroom.

His Tuonen Virta vase, issued in a limited numbered edition, uses the same technique to depict a scene from the Kalevala, the Finnish national epic poem. Wirkkala was preoccupied with the degree to which clear glass was visually akin to ice, and his mold–blown Jaavuori (Iceberg) glasses are perhaps the most literal manifestation of this in his work. Textural and chunky, they share a similar aesthetic with his Kanto (Tree Stump) range. Wirkkala's Paaderin Jaa sculptures were also designed to resemble cracked and melting ice.

Image. Timo Sarpaneva vase.

Image. Timo Sarpaneva Incalmo bowl.

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