THE GLASS CIRCLE VISITS THE CZECH REPUBLIC
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Glass Circle Members outside the Harrachov Factory |
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In 2001 The Glass Circle made its first trip to the Czech Republic with 92 people attending. We returned twice in 2008 to visit places in the North Czech Republic and Poland that we were unable to visit last time.
For the whole of our visit we were based in the Hotel Merkur, in the centre of Jablonec nad Nisou. We were fortunate that Dr. Pety Novy, who is in charge of the Glass museum in Jablonec, had agreed to be our consultant on this trip, and we had the services of a glass literate guide and translator to accompany us on all our trips.
Over the seven days we visited:
Desna Glassworks, Desna (blown and pressed glass), www.desna.com
Smrzovka antique shop, beads etc, (a great unexpected success last time!)
Jablonec Glass Museum, great glass, the best bead and button museum in the world,
Guided walk through town centre.
Zelezny Brod Glass School, a great honour for us.
School shop, where much was bought.
Jistebsko beadmaking workshop, the 19th century brought to life
Glass museum Zelezny Brod and Ethnological museum, Zelezny Brod
Studio Visit to Bretislav Novak,
Access to lecturer at the glass school and fine artist, in Mala Skala
Harrachov glass factory and museum.
Marvel at the Bohemian ‘Stourbridge style’ glass.
With small skiing museum on the premises and lunch available in Harrachov factory brewery restaurant
Jelenia Gora Glass Museum, Poland, hosted by the museum’s English speaking director.
A fine, Silesian, glass-only museum.
Kamenisky Senov glass museum and Novy Bor Glass Museum.
Both museums have been rehung since our last visit.
Karel Wunsch gallery, the best of contemporary Czech glass.
Tour back via Liberec
John P Smith (Chairman, The Glass Circle)
johnpsmi@globalnet.co.uk
On visits such as this The Glass Circle offers free trips to young museum curators with a special interest in glass.
On our last trip we were delighted to welcome Sonia Solicari from the Victoria and Albert Museum, London.
We welcome applications from young museum curators to take part in this scheme.
Below we reproduce Sonia's report on this visit.
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| BURSARY REPORT: |
Sonia Solicari, Curator, Ceramics &
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Glass |
 Glass Circle Trip: Czech Republic 14th-19th May 2008
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Handwork at the Harrachov factory |
Work by Libensky at the Museum,
Zelezny Brod
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Zelezny Brod Glass School |
Bead Making using traditional machinery |
The Cutting Shop - Harrachov
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Student at the Zelezny Brod
Glass School
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Harrachov - counting the production whilst keeping refreshed |
Outside the
Jelenia Gora Glass Museum, Poland
with the Director
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Monart Glass
in the Kunst Museum Berlin
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Personal background
I have been the curator of nineteenth-century Ceramics and Glass at the Victoria & Albert Museum since September 2006. Having transferred from the paintings collection at the V&A my new role has presented fresh challenges in the development of subject knowledge. I therefore welcomed the opportunity to attend a Glass Circle trip alongside so many renowned experts and enthusiasts and relished the chance to concentrate on glass objects and history away from the distractions of museum life! Scope of trip Not only did the trip bring into focus the stylistic output of a prolific glass-making region but, over the four days of visits, a plethora of techniques and working practices were covered, from the pressed glass of Desna and local cottage industry bead workshops to the cut glass at Kamenisky Senov museum and the wonderful painted glassware at Novy Bor. The range of sites visited has provided me with an excellent overview of Czech glass and has revealed many a research avenue that I hope to pursue. People The benefits of visiting museum collections and factories with individuals who approach glass in myriad ways (collecting, dealing, creating, and curating) cannot be underestimated. An explanation of puzzling techniques or styles was never far away and I was fortunate enough to have many rewarding discussions on shared points of interest as well as hearing about areas of glass of which I had very little previous knowledge or experience. It was especially advantageous to meet members of both the Glass Circle and the Glass Association and so gain more of an insight into the activities of each group. Many of the people that we met on our journey were particularly helpful and keen to share their expertise. Dr. Stefania Zelasko, curator at the Muzeum Karkonoskie at Jelenia Gora, Poland conducted an inspiring tour of the collections there and enthused many of us with her account of the extensive work she has undertaken on the Josephine glassworks. At Harrach, in addition to a lively tour from the son of the current owner of the glassworks, we had the good fortune to meet independent glass researcher Deborah Truitt, a specialist in Bohemian glass, who is currently undertaking research into the Harrach archives and examining export activities. Deborah’s research will be particularly valuable when completed as it will cover previously neglected documents and will incorporate a project to photograph every page of disintegrating archival material for the future benefit of us all. Last but not least, the knowledge of our local tour guide Christa Petraskova concerning the region’s glassmaking heritage greatly enriched the visits and placed the glass within a broader historical framework. Highlights For me, the most enlightening part of the trip was the historic collection at the Harrach glassworks where many of the exhibits were, on first examination at least, disconcertingly indistinguishable from pieces produced in England or France. I hadn’t before appreciated the diversity of the Harrach output which encompassed all the major glass trends of the nineteenth century, from satin glass to ‘art-glass’ pieces in the style of Jean Auguste. The cutting workshop at Harrach was particularly interesting - unchanged since the nineteenth century and powered by water turbines. I also very much enjoyed the stunning collection of beads and costume jewellery at the Jablonec Glass Museum. It was unquestionably the best display of this kind of material that I have seen and has motivated me to delve deeper, from a glass perspective, into the comparatively modest costume jewellery collection at the V&A.
My favourite glass object of the trip was at the Muzeum Karkonoskie at Jelenia Gora, Poland: a cup and saucer by Joseph Reidel, c.1850 crystal glass, cut, with gold and platinum foil encased and painted in black enamel (Zelasko, Stefania, European Glass at the Muzeum Karkonoskie in Jelenia Gora (Jelenia Gora: Muzeum Karkonoskie, 2006), p.36.  copyright: Muzeum Karkonoskie
Thank you I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Glass Circle for a most informative and enjoyable trip. I have met so many inspiring people, many of whom I hope to remain in contact with for the exchange of glass information. I would particularly like to thank John Smith for his tireless organisation of an exciting and packed itinerary and for his words of encouragement and imparting of wisdom. |
