This enormous floor decanter, design #6535 was designed by Joel Philip Myers in 1965, in the second year of his tenure at Blenko. Very few other Blenko designs make such an impression for their elephantine scale and voluminous mass and in this design clearly Myers was interested in pushing the envelope in those regards. Measuring three and a half feet tall (42 inches) and 10.5 inches diameter this is one of the three largest designs that Blenko ever produced.

To fixate for a moment on scale alone and to be fully impressed by this feat from a technical perspective, please try to imagine holding on to and inflating this bottle then shaping it while it is tenuously attached by a coin-sized blob of glass to a 4 foot long iron blowpipe. While swinging this around, shaping it and blowing it, the temperature of this monstrous mass of molten, glowing hot glass hovers around 1650 degrees Celsius (3180° F).

Clearly creating such a piece is a daunting and spectacular accomplishment but particularly so when one understands that no other factory in North America , and I dare say anywhere at the time, was blowing things of such scale. In fact, it is exceedingly rare throughout history – particularly in a production setting, as opposed to creating a one-off piece of this size. The "architectural scale" designs are an important part of Blenko's legacy not only because it was a genre they pioneered but because scale became a major motif in the studio glass movement and these items point to Blenko's innovative founding role.

But by no means is size the end of the story with this design. The undulating, voluminous form is a singular example of Myers' understanding of organic shapes. Myers best work betrays the influence of the 60's psychedelic revival of the Art Nouveau aesthetic. The sinuous, tapering teardrop profile results in a massive piece with remarkably graceful and light presence. Similarly, the lightly seeded Turquoise blue color is a perfect compliment to the bubble-like form of the body, further enhancing the design.