Aspects of the Development of Swedish Glass Manufacturing : An Overview 1500–1915

Recent findings show traces of glassmaking in Sweden in the 5th century CE. Monastic notes suggest that Cistercianmonks were making window glass during the 12th century. From 1556 glassmakers were established inSweden, producing artifacts and window glass, primarily for the royal court. They were recruited from glassmakingcenters such as Venice and Bohemia, bringing inherited, tacit knowledge from their home countries.Eventually craftspeople developed different means to support their creative processes. Books with patterns, includingone example printed in 1699, were produced for the trade and spread internationally. A Swedish domesticglass industry slowly started to emerge during the 18th century, a product of socioeconomic development.An implementation of artistic design processes took place in the early years of the 20th century. Internationalmobility can be seen as a key factor to the development of Swedish glass manufacturing, initially in the migrationof skilled craftspeople bringing their knowledge to Sweden, and later as an international exchange of value-basedideas that provided the content for the design-driven product development of the early 20th century