Robert Held Art Glass Footed Iris Vase — Cobalt Blue, Signed

A footed cylinder vase from Robert Held — the artist credited with launching Canada's first college-level hot glass program in 1969 and, with it, the entire Canadian studio art glass movement. The deep cobalt blue body encases a fully realized internal iris: lavender and violet petals fanning from a crisp teal-green stem, broad mint and jade leaves sweeping to the clear disc foot below. The motif was built layer by layer from within the molten glass — Held's signature internal decoration technique — giving the design a dimensional depth that shifts as light moves through it. The base carries an etched signature reading R. Held Art Glass, placing production squarely within his acclaimed Vancouver studio period (1987–2013).

This piece belongs to Held's "Scapes" series — his most collected body of work — drawing directly from the Impressionist and Symbolist painters he studied throughout his career. The credential list is short and serious: his goblets graced the Governor General's table; a commissioned bowl in 23rd-karat gold and dichroic glass entered the Royal Collection. The iris footed vase is where that pedigree meets everyday collector reach — a signed, displayable work by a documented master of the medium.

CONDITION

Good. Glass is crack- and chip-free with vivid, fully saturated color throughout the internal design. Minor shelf wear present on the underside of the foot.

DIMENSIONS / SPECIFICATIONS

• Height: 10¾"
• Diameter: 3¾"
• Weight: 2 lbs 9.4 oz
• Campbell's Soup Can (4" H) Shown for Scale