Delta Vase – Mart van Schijndel

Delta Vase – Mart van Schijndel

The Delta Vase by Mart van Schijndel is an iconic example of Dutch design from the 1980s. Van Schijndel designed this vase in 1981, approaching it as an architectural design. Instead of traditional blown glass, he “built” the vase from three identical glass plates, which are glued together.

The Delta Vase was revolutionary when it was introduced and earned Van Schijndel international recognition. In 1984, he won the prestigious 5th Arango International Design Contest – Glass That Works in Miami with this design. Since then, the vase has been included in the collections of leading museums, including the Museum of Modern Art (MoMa) in New York, the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam and Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam. The popularity of the design led to countless imitations at the time, underlining the leading status of the Delta Vase.

The original Delta Vase is still handmade in the Netherlands to this day. Each piece is engraved with Mart van Schijndel's signature, a practical detail that once served as protection against counterfeiting, but is now a beautiful detail on the vase.
Although the vase is often regarded as an art object, Van Schijndel himself saw it primarily for what it is: a functional “flower holder” that effortlessly finds its place in the interior, even without flowers. Thanks to its size and shape, the vase is also very suitable for a standard bouquet.

Photo credits: Daan Verschuur