Biedermeier Style Bohemia Cut and Ground Red Crystal Vase, 1950

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Delightful and heavy red crystal vase; made between 1950 and 1955 in northern Bohemia in the Jablonec nad Nisou area, … Read more Delightful and heavy red crystal vase; made between 1950 and 1955 in northern Bohemia in the Jablonec nad Nisou area, in one of the many local artisan workshops where glass working, blowing, manipulation, carving, and decoration have had their heyday since ancient times, where even today there are concentrated numerous workshops and stores of artists and designers to whom we owe the perpetuation of delicate and ancient art. The large vase has a classic and elegant shape and is supported by a round base with a scalloped edge and star cut on the bottom; an excellent lead crystal was used for its execution, which gives the crystal itself a high refractive index; with handcrafted manual techniques of cutting, grinding, and polishing, the surface of the vase creates extraordinary plays of light and reflections; the entire body of the vase has extremely precise handwork with typically Bohemian decorations. The unparalleled red color was obtained by adding compounds containing copper and gold chloride to the crystal at the melting stage (this explains why red crystal objects are more expensive than others); this work is the result of the long experimentation done in the times by Bohemian artists in glassworks, they managed to enhance the whole range of colors, they obtained ruby red with gold and copper, blue with cobalt, green with copper or with chromium, fluorescent yellow and green with uranium. When crystal, obtainable by the addition of sodium and manganese to glass, was discovered in Italy in 1450, Bohemia, an ancient region of Central Europe already renowned for glass production and processing, immediately welcomed the novelty, but it was not until the 1600s that the Bohemians discovered all the secrets to bring to life the most beautiful and luminous crystal ever seen: Bohemian crystal was born. Our vase with its powerful grandeur tells us these wonderful stories; it is an object with a unique identity with extraordinary plays of light and reflections, full of elegance and refinement; we managed to find it in a small antique store in Karlovy Vary, a small town in Western Bohemia renowned for its spas and ancient glass tradition; along with this rare object, we have acquired others equally beautiful that we will soon present in our assortment. The vase is in good condition. Measures diameter cm.15, height cm.28. See less