# Nanny Still artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/nanny-still/
Profile generated: 2026-05-30T21:40:00.000Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Nationality: Finnish
- Movements: Mid-century Finnish/Scandinavian design
- Common media: Glass, Industrial design

## About Nanny Still

Nanny Still (1926–2009) was a Finnish industrial designer and glass artist regarded as one of Finland's most influential post-war designers. Born Nanny Elisabet Still, she also used the name Nanny Still-McKinney. Active during the mid-twentieth century, Still became known for innovative glasswork that helped define the golden era of Finnish design alongside contemporaries such as Timo Sarpaneva and Tapio Wirkkala. Her designs for Riihimäen Lasi and other manufacturers combined clean Scandinavian form with expressive color and texture, earning recognition both in Scandinavia and internationally. Her work is held in major museum collections including the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Collectors today encounter her pieces primarily through Scandinavian and European decorative arts markets, where her glass vases, bowls, and decorative objects remain sought after for their craftsmanship and distinctive post-war Finnish aesthetic.

## Common works and media

Mouth-blown glass vases, bowls, plates, and decorative objects designed for Riihimäen Lasi and other Finnish manufacturers. Works typically feature clean modernist forms with expressive use of color and texture. Many series were produced in multiple colorways and sizes, and these production variants are commonly encountered at auction. Industrial design objects and household items also appear.

## Market and appraisal context

Nanny Still's work appears regularly at auction in Scandinavian and European decorative arts sales. The most commonly encountered pieces are mouth-blown glass vases, bowls, plates, and decorative objects produced for Finnish glasshouses. Value depends on the specific series or model, condition, colorway, size, and whether the piece retains its original label. Signed, documented prototype, or exhibition pieces can command premiums. Attribution should be verified through maker's marks, labels, or catalog references, as unsigned Finnish glass from this era can be difficult to distinguish from works by other designers in the same milieu. Provenance and exhibition history further affect appraisal values.

## Appraisily data basis

Appraisily artist pages combine identity research from authority files, museum records, and biographical sources with auction records, sale dates, realized prices, and comparable lots when those records are available.

## Sources

- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q11883982
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanny_Still
- Getty Vocabulary Program: https://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500468290
- VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/8149196442274791266/
- Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n97098709
- The Museum of Modern Art: https://www.moma.org/artists/5666
- RKD: https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/224855