Pauline Solven, an early Royal College of Art studio glass vase, 1967, of elongated organic fish type form, colourless with bubble and coloured strand inclusions, the small cavity with narrow neck and splayed crimped rim, incised marks Pauline Solven RCA 67, 21cm high

Note: the founder of the studio glass movement, Sam Herman, moved to London in 1967 to take up a position as a research fellow at the Royal College of Art under its head of glass Michael Harris. A new glass furnace was constructed that year which was seen as the birth of studio glass making in Britain. Amongst the pioneers of the movement in 1967 was the young student Pauline Solven, who quickly grasped the concept under the guidance of Herman and Harris. This very early piece shows the influence of Herman and his tutor in America, Harvey Littleton, as well as development towards Michael Harris' famous Mdina and Isle of Wight fish vase range of the early 1970s. This vase can be seen as an exceptionally important piece in the establishment and development of studio glass, which spread throughout the world and continues to flourish today.