Having studied at Dresden’s Technische Akademie (Polytechnic), Copenhagen’s Artists’ Studio School and later in Paris under Henri Matisse (1869-1954), Edward Hald was trained in painting, ceramics, and glass production. Beginning in 1917, Hald worked for the Swedish ceramics and porcelain manufacturer Rörstrand (est. 1726) and Orrefors Glasshouse (est. 1898). Halds engraved designs of modernist figures and in Graal glass garnered him much praise throughout the 1920s and 1930s, when he was considered a fine example of “Swedish Grace” stylings. He won a Grand Prix award at the 1925 “Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes” in Paris.

Established in 1898 in the Swedish region, Småland, Orrefors became the most prominent producer of Swedish modern art glass in the 20th century. At the height of Orrefors’s popularity in the 1930s through 1960s, the firm’s designers boasted prestigious awards from many world’s fairs. The firm is associated with the development of the Graal and Ariel glass techniques, both considered distinctly Swedish styles of art glass. Since 1997, the firm has operated under the Danish design manufacturer, Royal Scandinavia. The Småland-based manufacturer closed in 2013.