This rare engraved chalice was designed by artist Simon Gate for Orrefors, known as the Six Graces.
The six-sided cup features engraved designs of nude female figures in the Art Deco style, each side featuring a uniquely posed figure holding up a garland which encircles the piece and connects the figures. The figures are surrounded by festoons, urns, acanthus, and other classical motifs.
In a 1921 promotional booklet, Orrefors described the form of this piece as a modern variation of the heavy Silesian goblets from the Baroque period.
A centerpiece bowl with more elaborate decoration in a similar style, now in the collection of the Minneapolis Institute of Art (accession no 98.276.206a,b), was exhibited by Orrefors in the Swedish Pavilion at the 1925 Exposition des Arts Decoratifs in Paris, where Simon Gate was awarded a Grand Prix for his exceptional work. A period review of Gate's work in the exhibition described his decorative style as "picturesque plays of fancy."
Height: 8 ¾ inches (22.2 cm)