Topic: Who designed the Bohemia cube?

[Glen]

And.....Steve has just taken a photo of the label for me and here it is.



Glen

[Sklounion]

Interesting....
That appears to be a Polish Eagle...... the black eagle that appears on the Czech coat of arms does not carry a chequered shield, and the Moravian eagle is chequered all over.
Regards,
Marcus

[Glassyone]

When did the idea of dual purpose glass objects first happen, is it a 'retro' phenomenon? It is a very attractive candleash. It would look good with a floating candle in the ashtray part.
Ruth

[Glen]

When did the idea of dual purpose glass objects first happen, is it a 'retro' phenomenon?
Ruth

My opinion only, but I would suggest that marketing and advertising would have been the thrust behind multiple purpose use of glass items. Advertising from the early 1900s is full of multi-use glass objects. (I haven't studied earlier periods so can't comment).

Glen

[Glassyone]

Thanks Glen, I have not come across it prior to finding  some Riihimaen 'Carmen' candleholder/vases.  What other dual purpose glass are you aware of?
Ruth

[Glen]

Carnival Glass (circa 1910-1930) was advertised with more "uses" than you could shake a stick at. The aim was to sell, of course. And so they offered up a myriad of uses for the items. An early marketing man's ploy.

Glen

[Glassyone]

That's different to dual use being an integral part of the design??
R

[Ivo]

Our local example of design trendfollowing (this is a carefully thought out euphemism) is called Floris Meijdam who was the main designer in Leerdam after 1945. He designed oodles of production items with dual purpose use: vases that could double as ashtrays, candlesticks used as vases you name it, he drew it.  The earliest multipurpose items I see in the catalogue date from 1970; the style is always formal, abstract, angular and geometric.

[paradisetrader]

Excellent pics Ivo - Thank you - all is now "clear"  
and thanks Glen for the label.
What a mystery !

Glen wrote:

My parents even recall the day they bought it new.

Isn't it funny how sometimes you remember the exact circumstances of buying a piece; not just where and when but who with and what the weather was like....all sorts of incidental details. So it's not just music or a smell but glass too can be a memory jerker!

This is the case with a surprising amount of my glass yet other pieces have appeared from no-where !!!  :shock:

Ruth I always thought of retro as an adjective rather than the name of a period. The first 4 sites to come up on a google of "retro period" all disagree as to when that was !  :roll:

[Connie]

Fenton has been making dual use candleholders for some time.  One end holds a taper or flip it and it can hold a votive.

Peter - To my understanding retro is short for retrospective so it means a looking back at an earlier time and can reflect any previous time period.  However retro is most commonly used to represent items from the Mid 20th Century or Mid-Century Modern pieces.  It is another one of those terms which initially had one meaning but is morphing through common use into a totally different meaning.

But it is also used by sellers on eBay to describe anything not made yesterday that they have no clue on how to date. Or more deviously, they know it was made recently but want to be ambigious in their description.  :lol: