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Author Topic: Skrdlovice - Identified Items  (Read 319775 times)

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Offline Jindra8526

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Re: My Skrdlovice collection is growing nicely...
« Reply #200 on: November 05, 2011, 07:46:36 AM »
Dear friends,
the theory about Scandinavian influence of Czechoslovakian glass pieces in 50ties is the theory only.
The political environment on beginning 50ties in Czechoslovakia does ot allow any contact with "decadent" western culture, the "iron curtin" was there. It was impossible for normal people to travel, also people had no access to the journals and newspapers from "west" (even Scandinavia is in fact North for us). Private glasswork of Emanuel Beranek was "nationalised" in 1948, also home of Beranek family was stolen and Emanuel and his sons and nephews were allowed to work in previously their own glasswork like workers.

The hardest times ended in 1956 after Chruscov "disclosure of Stalin cult", our designers got success in Milano and later in Brussel. BUT you must not forget that even when glass pieces had been at that events, not the designers. We visited with Robert Mrs Zertova two years ago. She has got a price in Milano, she hoped that she will be allowed to go there an overtake the price, but it had not happened. 50ties are conidered as the darkest period of communismus in my country.

Sixties were much better and we have evidence about the interaction and inspirations from Scandinavia, in 1967 was in Prague the big exhibition of scandinavian design, Vizner had visited Wirkalla later, etc. Something like thiscould not happen in 50ties.

Jindrich
www.cs-sklo.cz

Offline rocco

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Re: My Skrdlovice collection is growing nicely...
« Reply #201 on: November 05, 2011, 11:05:33 AM »
Thanks Anik and David for your comments on my red vase -- I like it too. :usd:
I think what came into my mind first when I saw it was this Vizner range from 1968, which also has an opaque red well, cased in clear glass.
Still I was far from certain. (But if something is high quality and cheap enough I simply have to buy it ;D -- with all the great people on this board there is a chance that it can be identified)

And thanks Jindrich for giving us a deeper insight in the situation Czech designers had to live and work in during post war period.
I wouldn't say that influence is something negative; important is what you make of it -- for instance the trend to organic shapes in the 1950s -- Czech designers did go their own way and developed a very unique style.
One more Skrdlovice piece found its way in my collection today: huge and heavy Vizner 7117/20 in azur. :rah:

Michael

Offline langhaugh

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Re: My Skrdlovice collection is growing nicely...
« Reply #202 on: November 05, 2011, 11:09:18 AM »
Jindrich,

Thanks for that. I wondered if I had simply assumed that the Beranek designs, such as 54036 and then later 5987, must have been influenced by Sarpaneva's orchid vase, which was widely known, much in the same way as Per Lutken's  1956 orchid-type vases were influenced.

However, I think I was remembering what Ricke writes on p. 117 of "Czech Glass" when he states that Emanuel Beranek was shown photographs of Sarpaneva's "Orchidea." His footnotes says he was told this by Dr. Ivo Digrin.  Jindrich is  much better able to evaluate that claim than I am.  I'll add that I don't agree with Ricke's fairly negative assessment of Emmanuel's work. Also, I agree with Micheal's observation that influence isn't necessarily negative. Cross pollination is what makes individual artists part of a broader community.


David
My glass collection is at https://picasaweb.google.com/lasilove

Offline Jindra8526

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Re: My Skrdlovice collection is growing nicely...
« Reply #203 on: November 05, 2011, 01:03:26 PM »
HI David,
historicians of art sometimes construct hypothesis that sounds reasonable, but ignores reality of daily life in Czechoslovakia in 50ties. One and only source of information for Emanuel in 50ties could be the journal "Tvar". Skrdlovice village was at that time in the middle of nowhere, they had to travel olmost whole day to get there from Prague. I have some copies of Tvar at my web site, the more is still waiting in my office for scanning and downloading.

I am very busy mow in my job, so I cannot browse it systematically, but I suggest to you to browse Tvar and take a look how looked Czechoslovak design at that time, including ceramic, toys, industrial design, furniture and also dresses. Even i tis in Czech, you can get the atmosphere of this hard period from pictures.  No coloured journals, no TV, no internet either :-)

Jindrich
www.cs-sklo.cz

Offline langhaugh

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Re: My Skrdlovice collection is growing nicely...
« Reply #204 on: November 05, 2011, 06:52:53 PM »
Jindrich:

I understand your point about how in Czechoslovakia access to Western cultural life was very restricted in the 1950's. I was reporting that, according to Dr.Ivo Digrin, Emanuel Beranek was shown a photograph of Sarpaneva's "Orchidea" vase. I don't know who Dr. Ivo Digrin is, so I can't say whether that's likely or not. However, Ricke usually is very careful with his facts, as is shown here where he at least footnotes his claim.

Considering that photographs of the Sarpaneva vase received very wide exposure in the 50's, in magazines ("Life," for example), newspapers, and accounts of the Milan Triennal, is it not possible that somebody could have shown a picture to Emanuel Beranek?

Enjoy yourself in Solihull, you lucky person.


David

My glass collection is at https://picasaweb.google.com/lasilove

Offline Anik R

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Re: My Skrdlovice collection is growing nicely...
« Reply #205 on: November 05, 2011, 07:25:30 PM »
Michael, now I'm drooling.  Love the Vizner 7117!  Though I certainly wouldn't complain if I had one in azur, I prefer darker, more 'manly' colours -- but a great piece anyway.  Lucky, lucky fellow!

Offline Jindra8526

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Re: My Skrdlovice collection is growing nicely...
« Reply #206 on: November 05, 2011, 10:51:46 PM »
Hi David.
I will put my eye to this issue. However, I will revert your question. I suppose that more likely had Sarpaneva chance to see Emanuel Beranek work. When you will go back to history, you will discover that "scandinavian" glassmaking had been grounded by Bohemian expats in 19th century.

Emanuel had no desire and motivation to copy somebody else, he was noname worker, lost eveything, living his life in love with glass becouse he had lost everything. I am strongly omitting consideration about inspiration or influence from Scandinavia (or Murano) to Emanuel.

Countries without glassmaking tradition were influenced by Bohemian glass rather.

In 60ties it had been changed, but not in 50ties and Emanuel.

Jindrich
www.cs-glass.cz

Offline rocco

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Re: My Skrdlovice collection is growing nicely...
« Reply #207 on: November 07, 2011, 03:18:47 PM »
Thanks Anik for you comment! :hi:
Skrdovlice pieces like this really can be appreciated best when handled -- it is so massive and weighs a ton. (BTW, even the red Jezek vase which isn't that massive,weighs almost 2 kg).
I am quite fond of the Azur; it seems to be a signature colour for Vizner and Skrdlovice from the late 1960s/ early 1970s...

Quote
I've been going through the Skrdlovice patterns this week matching up pattern numbers to my Skrdlovice collection, and I realized how little of the Skrdlovice production I was familiar with, particularly patterns from the 60 and 70's.  I wonder if it's a question pf them not being in the Mark Hill's book. But then again, they don't seem to turn up in the Sypka catalogues either.  Are there a few pieces that were made in very limited production runs?
A very interesting question from David; I have been wondering the same.
Perhaps Robert and Jindrich know if many designs were only produced in limited numbers, or just for one season?
Is there some sort of record how many pieces from a range were produced, or how long?

Thanks!
Michael

Offline bOBA

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Re: My Skrdlovice collection is growing nicely...
« Reply #208 on: November 07, 2011, 04:44:06 PM »
Hi Michel, lovely azur "pineapple" vase by Vizner. Azur is one of my favourite colourways and as you say late 60's early 70's it was very popular as a colourway and can be an indicator of production date to some extent. Jindrich may have more to say on use of Azur at Skrdlovice, having discussed this era of design with Mr Vizner himself on several occasions and having seen later Beranek Glass production at first hand etc... In the 50's there are some colourways that were very short lived. Rosalin or pure salmon pink seems to have been almost entirely 55 and 56 for example. More research has to be done in this area but patterns do form over time. One interesting thing about ebay is how reliable the secondary market is regarding production and historic exports. It is quite clear from this that one of the major importers of Skrdlovice c. 1955-1963 was Canada. Also, regarding rare items or small production runs, quite clearly some items appear regularly, indicating quite large scale production runs and some quite rarely or perhaps once, probably indicating smaller runs. The pattern books do give some indication of initial runs, sometimes specifying in the opening pages "up to a thousand pieces" this is quite common in the fifties. However, this is only true for the initial run and in following years they sometimes made many more. So, in the late 60's and early 70's patterns where it says 1200 pieces I would not at all take it as gospel since some of these are the most common patterns we find. However, some of these, because they are rarely seen, almost certainly were made in 1200 and no more. Beyond this, it is hard to be more precise without trying to talk to someone like Svoboda and going through the books and his memories page by page (which may well be worth doing). In the mean time, I attach some recent purchases, not very good photos, I'm afraid, I am experimenting with a new set up, that needs organising. One piece is a 1953 Labut-Svicen (swan-candle holder) by Veliskova. This colourway seems to have been 53-58. This seems quite a scarce thing which is a surprise, I would have thought a swan, with a free candle holder, would have been a best seller!!

The other piece is an Emanuel Beranek piece with four holes, weighing about 2KG and from memory is 1959, showing how far away from Sarpaneva orchid type vases his own experiments and designs took him. Ricke and Digrin seem very uncharitable in suggesting his efforts were just to make more apertures than Sarpaneva, after all, Emanuel Beranek was a glass designer as well as master blower and this piece does not look anything like a vase from Scandinavia.


Robert (bOBA)


 

Offline Anik R

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Re: My Skrdlovice collection is growing nicely...
« Reply #209 on: November 07, 2011, 07:00:08 PM »
I'm afraid I haven't been very perceptive.  I never noticed that Azur was a popular Skrdlovice colourway in the late 60s / early 70s.

Robert, though I greatly dislike any type of glass swan, I am smitten with your candleholder. What a fantastic piece in every respect.  

Edited to add:  Michael, I'm impressed that the 7927 weighs so much -- it's deceptive. I'm liking it more and more.

 

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