Topic: Engraved/etched ZBS/Klinger pieces - why?

[Niya]

Hi everyone,

Niya here, nice to meet you
I'm new to this forum (though I've lurked for a while) and I've got a question (and I hope some of you might provide an answer).

While trawling ebay, I've noticed a number of engraved - or possibly etched, not sure on the technique - pieces (in particular - vases), commonly attributed to ZBS/Klinger. The engravings vary, and I've seen a number of flowers, birds, deers and even ships, such as in this - already finished - listing: http://www.ebay.de/itm/192134366953?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

There seems to be no rhyme or reason why some of these ZBS/Klinger pieces are engraved while others (most of them actually) are not. Does anyone have an answer?

P.S. Did you know that there is something called Ayers Rock in Australia? You learn something new every day

[glassobsessed]

Welcome to the forum Niya.

One possibility is the items that were chosen for engraving had some production problem, the engraving helping to hide this and make the item more saleable. There must be other possibilities though!

John

[Niya]

Thank you John - for welcoming me to the forum and for your reply

I hadn't thought about that, but it does indeed seem logical that the engravings might have been put to hide some production problem. However, I've only noticed them on ZBS/Klinger pieces, so now I'm wondering what they did in Skrdlovice and the other production sites in such cases

[Anne]

Other makers sold them as seconds, or broke them up for reuse as cullet, or just ignored the faults and sold them anyway. Quality control varies from place to place.

It may also have been someone else buying ZBS pieces to engrave onto. A master engraver who lived not far from me used to do this - he would buy in blanks from various places, so I see his work on handmade pieces made by Waterford Crystal and on machine made French and Italian, and even Chinese, glassware.

Welcome to the board too, Niya. 😀

[Lustrousstone]

They may have been a special order for a retailer or wholesaler, who knows

[bOBA]

Hi, ZBS for many years, over fifty, had their own team of trained engravers and cutters. I suspect price and demand could vary for ZBS vases with or without designs. Many of the engravings have tiny initials denoting the engraver ID. Sometimes this can be traced. Some master engravers in Cz today can be from the old ZBS training stable. This is the origin of most engravings on ZBS glass though doubtless occasionally others may later have used their vases as blanks. Many ZBS designs are familiar and can be seen in books such as the recent Sklo, by Mark Hill.

Robert (bOBA)

[Niya]

Hi again, you all

Thank you so much for your replies.

I only have one very small ZBS vase with an engraving of a flower  (possibly an edelweiss) - and it is not even among my favourite ZBS pieces, as it is citrine-coloured and I def prefer their neodymium glass, or even their classic two-tone smokey brown and salmon pieces - but I jsut spent so much time wondering about the whole matter that I had to finally stop lurking and post here

I hope you're able to see my engraved ZBS vase, I'm not quite sure how attaching things here works...