Moser a.s. is a luxury glass manufacturer based in Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic (previously Ludwig Moser & Sons in Bohemia, Austria-Hungary). The company is known for manufacturing stemware, decorative glassware (such as vases, ashtray, candlestick), glass gifts and various art engravings. Moser is one of the most collected of 20th century decorative glass[2] and has been used everywhere from palaces to local restaurants.[3] From its beginnings in 1857, as a polishing and glass engraving workshop, it developed into a lead-free glass manufacturer lasting through the 20th century until the present. It is considered as the most luxurious Czech brand[4] as well as one of the world's most famous brands of luxury crystal. Every piece of glass that is made by Moser is hand made.
The original company Moser glassworks, founded in 1857 by Ludwig Moser in Karlovy Vary (called Karlsbad at the time), was a glass workshop initially devoted to polishing and engraving glass blanks;[5] only later did the company begin designing and making its own art glass products.[6] Engraving blanks, from Loetz, Meyr's Neffe and Harrachov was performed by the workshop in the early years.[7] At the Vienna International Exhibition of 1873 he was awarded a medal for merit; that same year he was appointed the exclusive supplier of glass to the Emperor Franz Joseph I.[8] He would win numerous other awards in the coming years, including medals at the World Exhibitions in Paris in 1879, 1889 and 1900, and the World Exhibition in Chicago in 1893.[8] Ludwig took over a glass factory in Dvory (German: Meierhofen, now part of Karlovy Vary) in 1893 to create a full service glassworks employing 400 people, later under the name Glassworks Ludwig Moser & Sons (Czech: Sklárny Ludwig Moser a synové, German: Glasfabrik Ludwig Moser & Söhne) where his sons Gustav and Rudolf also worked.[5]
In 1904 Moser received a warrant to supply the Imperial Court of the Emperor of Austria and four years later became a supplier to Edward VII.[9] In 1915 the company exhibited at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition and was again awarded a medal, which Louis Comfort Tiffany and Charles Tuthill thought well deserved due to the outstanding quality of the hot glass applied decorations on coloured Bohemian glass.[10]Art Nouveau glass pieces were produced by Moser with surface decoration with natural themes and simple cameo glass. They also used the Eckentiefgravur technique employing a sharp angular body deeply cut in the form of intaglio flowers.[7]
Following the death of his father in 1916, Leo Moser took over the direction and the company expanded significantly resulting in their recognition by a Grand Prize award at the Paris International Exhibition of Decorative Art in 1925. They also exhibited in London, Belgium, Italy and Vienna.[3] The Art Nouveau designs of heavily engraved lilies and the Fipop series from c1914 were some of the most notable pieces. Several cheaper lower quality derivatives of the Fipop designs were produced by other companies and between 1927 and 1933 two American glassmakers made copies calling them Woodland and Deerwood.[6] Moser was one of the few Czechoslovakian glassmakers to sign their pieces.[11]
The depression of the early 1930s exacted its toll, reducing its staff to 240, eventually Leo resigned from the company in 1932. Later, having sold their company shares in the company in 1938, they fled the county after areas of Czechoslovakia were annexed.[12] The city of Karlovy Vary was occupied by Nazi Germany in 1938 after the Munich Agreement and the family fled the country during this anti-Semitic period. Because of its international reputation, the company was able to retain some independence during the communist era while the rest of the Czech glass industry was nationalised in 1948 (Crystalex).[6][13]
In the year 1947, Czechoslovakian President Edvard Benes gifted a monogrammed Splendid set to future Queen of England Elizabeth II. as a wedding gift to her and her husband Prince Philip. In 2007, the anniversary of the Queen's diamond wedding, more cups and a bowl were added to the set, offered to the Queen by the Czech President Vaclav Klaus during an audience at Buckingham Palace. In 2004, the Splendid set was gifted for the Royal Wedding in Copenhagen.[15]
Thus, the nickname of the Moser glassworks spread to Glass of Kings and King among Glass.
Even in the late 19th century colored glass didn't play as significant a role in Moser's product range as it does today. Ever since Ludwig Moser founded the glassworks in 1893, its main priority was mainly crystal glass. In Bohemian glassworks, the colorless, clear and hard potash glass was typically and traditionally used, as it was particularly suitable for processing and decoration through grinding and engraving.
Colored molten glass began to find prominence in Moser's production with the advent of the Art Nouveau style. Partially green, violet and sometimes orange, pink or blue layered vases and goblets created backgrounds for deeply engraved compositions of plant motifs. A substantial turn towards the use of colored glass, however, come after 1908, when Loe Moser took up the position of technical director. He experimented with melting copper colored ruby red glass, and in 1915 showcased the first collection of thick-walled heavy monochrome vases with regular facet cuts at the Modern Czech Glass exhibition in Prague. After 1915, he introduced basic glass colors into regular production, they are given attractive gem names - purple Ametyst, dark green Smaragd, brownish-yellow Topas and cobalt-blue Saphir. In 1923 he added the yellow-green Radion colored with uranium compounds and at the same time black Hyalith glass, though only in small amounts.
In 1927 Leo Moser's technological innovation and artistic sagacity, especially his effort to find a select and exclusive face for Moser's production, brought cooperation with Berlin's specialist in the area of chemical glass colors. The result of a two-year experiment, and a series of test smelts, were special, completely new types of molten glass colored with oxides of rare earths (neodymium, praseodymium). These have a surprising quality. Their color changes depending on artificial or daylight - Heliolit, changing from sandy yellow to green, purple-violet of Alexandrit and yellow-green of Prasemit. Moser first introduced cut glass vases with a distinct color play at the Spring Fair in Leipzig in 1929 and in the same year, their names were registered as trademarks. A year later Moser expanded the series with the purple-red Royalit and 1932 saw the entry of the golden-yellow Eldor. In the late 1920s, Moser also began to melt the blue-green colored Beryl.
Today the Moser Glassworks ties in to Leo Moser's extremely valuable legacy and purposefully develops in further, both in its use of high-quality ecologically friendly unleaded crystal with exceptional optical qualities, and in the exclusive glass color use in conjunction with unique, artistically progressive design by major artists.
From the middle of 20th century, the Moser Glassworks had a very close relationship with film and film start. First, by means of the Giant Snifters, Moser glass found itself in the immediate vicinity of film stars. The set was gradually presented at the international film festival in Cannes, Karlovy Vary and Sorrento. Today the glasswork's relationship with film and its creators has been confirmed by it being a partner of the festival in Karlovy Vary, which is annually attended by many artists and film buffs from around the world. Moser Glassworks is traditionally the exclusive supplier of the unique festival prizes, which have changed several times over the decades. The festival prize's latest look is from 2000, when the IFF team's initial idea was perfected by photographer Tono Stano. The prize, whose basis is created by Moser's glass blowers, also plays a lead role in the festival's opening shorts, which launch the film festival's programs every year. Winners of the prize for outstanding contribution to world cinema, for example, the directors Věra Chytilová and Miloš Forman or actors Helen Mirren, John Malkovich, Danny DeVito, Jude Law, John Travolta, Mel Gibson, Sharon Stone or Andy Garcia, perform with it in humorous skits.
A crisis in the sales of luxury brand glass was averted by returning the shops in Prague and Karlovy Vary to the glassworks. The Prague shop was even left with its traditional name - Bohemia-Moser. The shop then became a means for trade with diplomats, the Chamber of Commerce and government circles. Great credit in increasing the prosperity of foreign trade with glass must go to the shop's director, František Chocholatý, who, thanks to his diplomatic skills, acquired many business and social contacts, which the glassworks used for many years. It was here that the Giant Snifters Club was founded in the second half of the 1950s.
The founding of the Giant Snifters Club was an event of huge social significance for Moser glass. The inauguration ceremony involved choosing a snifter, whose shape matched the physiognomy of the future Giant Snifters Club Member, and making it 'dance'. Although the brand was patented in the 1960, the tradition of the Club, which accepted important personalities of the cultural, political and sports world, goes back to 1957 when the set was designed.
Ludwig Moser developed a lead-free sodium-potassium glass that is more ecologically friendly than lead glass yet is extremely hard; it remains the basis of their products.[17] Moser still produces some of its classic Fipop designs.[6] A factory museum shows the 150-year story of the company in more than 2,000 pieces on display, supplemented by documentaries and audio guides.[16] Besides having four retail outlets in the Czech Republic, two in Prague and two in the company's hometown Karlovy Vary, one of which is in the famous Grandhotel Pupp,[18] and one in Dubai Design District,[19] Moser has a worldwide network of retailers.[20] Moser's US distribution company was established in Northern Virginia in 1957.[21]
Awards
The People’s Choice category of Czech Grand Design 2012, awarded by the Academy of Design of the Czech Republic, went to Lukáš Jabůrek for his design of the Pear vase. The artwork soon ranked among the bestsellers.[15]
Art Nouveau is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. It was often inspired by natural forms such as the sinuous curves of plants and flowers. Other characteristics of Art Nouveau were a sense of dynamism and movement, often given by asymmetry or whiplash lines, and the use of modern materials, particularly iron, glass, ceramics and later concrete, to create unusual forms and larger open spaces. It was popular between 1890 and 1910 during the Belle Époque period, and was a reaction against the academicism, eclecticism and historicism of 19th century architecture and decorative art.
Émile Gallé was a French artist and designer who worked in glass, and is considered to be one of the major innovators in the French Art Nouveau movement. He was noted for his designs of Art Nouveau glass art and Art Nouveau furniture, and was a founder of the École de Nancy or Nancy School, a movement of design in the city of Nancy, France.
Karlovy Vary is a spa city in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 49,000 inhabitants. It is located at the confluence of the Ohře and Teplá rivers.
Lalique is a French luxury glassmaker, founded by renowned glassmaker and jeweller René Lalique in 1888. Lalique is best known for producing glass art, including perfume bottles, vases, and hood ornaments during the early twentieth century. Following the death of René, Lalique transitioned to producing lead glass (crystal) works during the 1950s while under the direction of René's son, Marc Lalique. In 2010, Lalique was purchased by a Swiss company named Art & Fragrance SA, now known as Lalique Group SA.
The Vienna Secession is an art movement, closely related to Art Nouveau, that was formed in 1897 by a group of Austrian painters, graphic artists, sculptors and architects, including Josef Hoffman, Koloman Moser, Otto Wagner and Gustav Klimt. They resigned from the Association of Austrian Artists in protest against its support for more traditional artistic styles. Their most influential architectural work was the Secession exhibitions hall designed by Joseph Maria Olbrich as a venue for expositions of the group. Their official magazine was called Ver Sacrum, which published highly stylised and influential works of graphic art. In 1905 the group itself split, when some of the most prominent members, including Klimt, Wagner, and Hoffmann, resigned in a dispute over priorities, but it continued to function, and still functions today, from its headquarters in the Secession Building. In its current form, the Secession exhibition gallery is independently led and managed by artists.
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Joseph Maria Olbrich was an Austrian architect and one of the Vienna Secession founders.
Riedel Crystal is a glassware manufacturer based in Kufstein, Austria, best known for its glassware designed to enhance different types of wines. According to Petr Novy, Chief curator Museum of Glass and Jewellery in Jablonec nad Nisou, Czech Republic, Riedel is the oldest family owned and operated global crystal glass brand worldwide. Established in Bohemia in 1756, the company is managed by Georg Riedel and Maximilian Riedel. Later, it was re-established by Claus J. Riedel in 1956, with the support of the Swarovski family.
Daum is a crystal studio based in Nancy, France, founded in 1878 by Jean Daum (1825–1885). His sons, Auguste Daum (1853–1909) and Antonin Daum (1864–1931), oversaw its growth during the burgeoning Art Nouveau period. Daum is one of the only crystal manufacturers to employ the pâte de verre process for art glass and crystal sculptures, a technique in which crushed glass is packed into a refractory mould and then fused in a kiln.
Iittala, founded as a glassworks in 1881, is a Finnish design brand specialising in design objects, tableware and cookware.
Rudolf Wels was a Czech architect active in western Bohemia and in Prague.
Bohemian glass, also referred to as Bohemia crystal, is glass produced in the regions of Bohemia and Silesia, now parts of the Czech Republic. It has a centuries long history of being internationally recognised for its high quality, craftsmanship, beauty and often innovative designs. Hand-cut, engraved, blown and painted decorative glassware ranging from champagne flutes to enormous chandeliers, ornaments, figurines and other glass items are among the best known Czech exports and immensely popular as tourist souvenirs. The Czech Republic is home to numerous glass studios and schools attended by local and foreign students.
Thomas Webb & Sons was an English glass company, founded in 1837 by Thomas Webb (1804-1869) near Stourbridge, England. The name T. Webb & Co. was adopted in 1842, and later became Thomas Webb & Sons. Webb operated the Platts glasshouse from 1837 to 1856 and then the Dennis glassworks from 1855 to 1990.
Cameo glass is a luxury form of glass art produced by cameo glass engraving or etching and carving through fused layers of differently colored glass to produce designs, usually with white opaque glass figures and motifs on a dark-colored background. The technique is first seen in ancient Roman art of about 30 BC, where it was an alternative to the more luxurious engraved gem vessels in cameo style that used naturally layered semi-precious gemstones such as onyx and agate. Glass allowed consistent and predictable colored layers, even for round objects.
J. & L. Lobmeyr is a glassware company from Vienna, Austria. It was founded in 1823 and is still family owned.
RONA a.s. is a Slovak drinking glass manufacturer, established in Lednické Rovne, Slovakia, in 1892. The name RONA comes from the former naming of the village ‘‘Lednicz Rone’’. The company manufactures unleaded drinking glasses, known as crystal glass. 96% of production is exported and is available in more than 80 countries worldwide. The yearly production of the company exceeds 60 million pieces (2016). Product segments include households, the gastronomy business, aerospace, and ship catering.
Art Nouveau posters and graphic arts flourished and became an important vehicle of the style, thanks to the new technologies of color lithography and color printing, which allowed the creation of and distribution of the style to a vast audience in Europe, the United States and beyond. Art was no longer confined to art galleries, but could be seen on walls and illustrated magazines.
Art Nouveau glass is fine glass in the Art Nouveau style. Typically the forms are undulating, sinuous and colorful art, usually inspired by natural forms. Pieces are generally larger than drinking glasses, and decorative rather than practical, other than for use as vases and lighting fittings; there is little tableware. Prominently makers, from the 1890s onwards, are in France René Lalique, Emile Gallé and the Daum brothers, the American Louis Comfort Tiffany, Christopher Dresser in Scotland and England, and Friedrich Zitzman, Karl Koepping and Max Ritter von Spaun in Germany. Art Nouveau glass included decorative objects, vases, lamps, and stained glass windows. It was usually made by hand, and was usually colored with metal oxides while in a molten state in a furnace.
Johann Loetz Witwe was an art glass manufacturer in Klostermühle in southwestern Bohemia, Austria-Hungary and then Czechoslovakia. Johann Loetz's works are among the most outstanding examples of Art Nouveau.
Jiřina Žertová, née Rejholcová is a Czech sculptor, painter, glass and art-industrial artist.
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CZK 168 mio. [1] (2020)
