Topic: Karlovarske sklo bubbly candle holder

[rocco]

Nice dark blue candle holder with flat layer of bubbles, Karlovarske Sklo label (the first one I have ever seen -- my other "Karlovarske" pieces all have Moser labels). 12 cm high.

Though I looked through quite a few issues of CGR from the 1960s to the 1990s, I couldn't find anything; so any help with designer and date highly appreciated.
Without the label, I would have thought this had to be a Skrdlovice/Beranek piece...

Thanks,
Michael

[bOBA]

A nice piece Rocco. I have seen the label before a couple of times. It helped me attribute a sommerso range with cut out uneven rims that most people thought by style were Skrdlovice. (A range with baskets and bowls, usually in two types of blue or green, if you know the one I mean).

I would be interested to know if Moser accepted this candleholder of yours as their production or not? As you know, with items described as Karlovarske Sklo, they can be unclear about it. The great Suhajek designs of the time are usually accepted but some designs from the same period seem not to be. I do not know the designer of this piece. It makes me wonder if this candle holder was a part of a range, vase, plate, etc... It seems possible doesn't it. I know for a fact that there are several Karlovarske ranges that are not yet attributed as such, or by designer. One part of the problem is that a couple of key designers died young such as Filip and Zemek and as a result, their work is certainly less well documented than the work of designers who lived longer and so had a chance at exhibitions etc in later years to remind the world of their work. So I think that there are ranges by such figures who died young that are still not fully appreciated... The identity of Karlovarske Sklo being set up on the Moser site making hot worked stuff unlike typical Moser, also compounds the problem of identification, as these designs are not really the focus of typical Moser research and traditions.


Robert (bOBA)

[rocco]

Thanks a lot, Robert!
As you mentioned Milos Filip: there was one bubbly range in the early sixties, which has some similarities >> Link
But the shape doesn't match; the candleholders by Lipa from 1968 seem to have a similar shape, but different decor >> Link

Maybe I should write to Moser and ask about it

Michael

[bOBA]

Hi Michael,
I would ask Moser. Thinking about it, there is a quite common bubbly paperweight (that you may have seen) with various Czechoslovakia labels that I am certain is a part of this range with your candle holder. I have seen the Karlovarske Sklo label on these weights too.  To be fair to Moser, they try very hard to be helpful and we happen to ask questions about their "strangest" produce. I have, just this week, contacted them about a 3KG bowl-vase. Even a "no" from Moser can sometimes be useful as they sometimes offer alternatives......


Robert (bOBA)

[rocco]

Wow, phantastic piece Robert!

I wrote to Moser, let's see if they can add some more info

Michael

[bOBA]

Thanks Michael,

Moser do try to respond accurately. It is quite strange to fairly definitely find a candleholder and paperweight in the same pattern but no vase or dish-bowl yet!!!

Robert (bOBA)

[rocco]

Today I got a very friendly e-mail from Moser, stating that

"...This product was produced by Karlovarske sklo around the years 1955 - 1965. It is metallurgical glass, which was typical for that glassworks.
Unfortunately we do not know the name of the designer...."

So not a lot wiser, but I guess if it was made that early, it could be part of (or at least influenced by) the Milos Filip bubbly range I linked to above.
BTW, I don't really know what "metallurgic glass" means...

Michael

[bOBA]

If translated from Czech, for metallurgical glass, google translates gives hutní sklo, a phrase I always understand to mean "hand shaped at the furnace" or similar, nothing to do with metal in the glass.

It is interesting that the candleholder is recognised as a Karlovarske design. My idea that there ought to be a vase and bowl is still viable too. the implication is that they may have an old catalogue showing it, without design attribution maybe?

My topas bowl-vase above was seen by the Moser historian and was viewed as not Karlvarske Sklo, as "there is no signature and Karlovarské sklo always used a signature on the bottom. That is why we suppose it was not produced by karlovarské sklo either." This is not my experience of Karlovarske sklo output. But I am not to disagree particularly as Moser try hard to be helpful on this ambiguous aspect of the history of Moser glassworks.

(They helpfully identified an amethyst piece of glass I have, of more normal cut style Moser, as being Moser, unsigned, "indicating it was made before WWII.")

For my bowl-vase with bubbles, the Moser historian noted quite sensibly that it is made from "solid glass" implying not blown as the sides are very thick indeed, about 4cm, not really possible to blow and so it would have been cast into some kind of mould maybe....

good to hear that this candleholder of yours has been identified at least as a Karlovarske Sklo product. Well done Moser for the help!



Robert (bOBA)

[flying free]

Moser have been absolutely brilliant at trying to help me with a few pieces of my glass.  One of which was completely outside their glass production period (before they started making glass) but they still tried to give as much information as they could on the decoration on the glass.
I agree, they are the best when it comes to trying to help with information on past pieces and giving as much information as they can - and they probably get hundreds of requests from people as they are so well known.

But (just in case someone does a search in the future) I did want to add that I also  have a piece of glass that is definitely from Karlovarske Sklo that is completely unsigned and I think there have been another couple of pieces in that range that are also unsigned.

m

[rocco]

Thanks m and Robert. Translating "metallurgic" to "hot worked" makes much more sense

I agree that the Moser identification department is always very nice and helpful, their opinions seem to be a little incosistent when it comes to Czechoslovakian Karlovarske Sklo production, though...
I have quite a few hot worked pieces from that period in my collection, none of them is marked to the base, but 3 of them have "Moser" paper labels (Lipa canldeholder, one of my Mika vases, and one of my Suhajek threaded vases).

Michael