Pictured here is an amazing punch bowl and cover in the Praha pattern made for Rosice 1971 and designed by the master designer Adolf Matura.This pattern is highly regarded and according to Markus Newhall there were 15 pieces included in the Gottwaldov exhibition and it is suggest that the pattern was heavily influnced by the design "Barokki" by Erkkitapio Siiroinen for the Finnish company Riihimaen Lasi Oy.
Ref:-Art Before Industry.....Book
Over the last three years i have found this punch bowl with 6 matching goblets,a bowl and a large bowl on a pedastal....thats all...which means that there is not much around although this is a great design mostly as tableware.When light is cast on the items it seems to sparkle so i can imagine a entire table setting would be rather awesome.
Matura`s gesigns for pressed glass were seen as having a greater significence than the rest of his output for the period...book page 83.
His fist piece that was produced was an ashtray which took off like a rocket and was well received...an example can be found under reference guide(link on this site)...Adolf Matura.
These were made in several colors and as smoking is more or less a thing of the past they are still wonderful designed items.
Browsing through Art Before Industry we are shown other desirable articles by the man and these are also very difficult to find and call a good price for a designer pressed glass objects.
They are out there and as recently as 6 months ago i believe one of these pieces sold for in excess of Sfr500,00...my suggestion is that if interested in this designer is that you buy the linked book and have a look see.(P.S. i do not get a commission for punting the book)but then again it is the best publication on the subject.
In the next three weeks i will also feature other designers who made a big name for themselves and whos work is highly sought after.....look at the Reference Guide....
Guide
A picture of the footed bowl....

Czech glass has an amazing story to tell and those who know the history of the period will know and fully realise that the designers who worked for the various glassworks had enromous restrictions placed on them and were ruled by harsh standards.This certainly did not impead their style and design as over this period some of the most exciting styles,shapes and colors came to the Western market as inexpensive articles and sold extremely well.They had produced so much and comparative to the Finnish market which was popular at the time,the Czech glass has not had a great platform in the west and only now do we see a whole new field on catologues and books covering the period and subject.
A great book recently published on Czech pressed glass has opened the market to collecting these great works by a good number of great designers.Website Sklo Union
This link takes one to the source and leads to the new book Art Before Industry...by Marcus Newhall.
Book
Attached to this book is a CD with over 4000 patterns and many many designs and i can asure u that they will delight and surprise u as they seem so timeless and totally stylish.Here Markus gives good detail of the times that the country found itself in and yet they were still able to design high quality items.A good source to read is in the first link i have given but yet the full and detailed story is all in the book and is well worth its weight in gold.This is a must have if u are interested in pressed designer glass of the period.
The main designers covered in this book are as follows.....
Rudolf Schrötter
Rudolf Jurnikl
Frantisek Peceny
Frantisek Vizner
Adolf Matura
Pavel Panek
Vladislav Urban
Vaclav Hanus
Jiri Brabec
Vratislav Sotola
Miroslav Kubinec
Jiri Zejmon
Vaclav Zajic
Milos Philip
Jiri Zouzela
Jan Schmid
Frantisek Zemek
and there are great color pictures featuring these designer items as well as a full history on each.
The CD is expansive but there are plenty of items stated but no shown examples so when starting a collection and becoming ofay with the glass there will be some gems to be found where they have previously been relegated to bottom of the kitchen cupboard.
In the next blog i will cover another book on the sublect as well as a glass forum that is absolutely great.
Be sure to get the Art Before Industry ....book before its out of print and am sure if u miss it there will be a long long wait for a reprint....as there is further research been done and all the writers/researchers are busy busy busy.
till next time find yourself a piece of(Czech) Sklo.
Here u can visit the guide....Guide Sklo Union

A Pressed glass...Sklo Union by Jan Schmidt for Rosice 1960.
What does one do when one is getting older and has hours on end to spend...well let me tell you what i have been doing...research research and just a wee bit more.Scouring through Google certainly takes time but its well worth the visits and there is so much to be gleaned if you are focused on your subject and then as we all know one gets totally side tracked and lands up on the most obscure pages giving you new insights to the weird and wonderful.....hmmm sometimes just plain scary.
So the name of the game at the moment is „Sklo Union“ pressed glass manufactured in Czechoslvakia from the early 1920`s through to the late 1990`s.These are the collectors items of the future and all at very afforable prices....i know ive said that before but here i press the point so that none can say later ...“why did u not tell me“.
The next question is what do i have for breakfast....you have guessed correctly....Sklo Union collectibles ...and for lunch...the same faire...and dinner...hmmm...lashes of Sklo Union .Firstly i must say :-
a big thank you to several people who have been extremely helpful and patient with me over the last pregnant 9 months....no its not what u think...well sort of as a new baby was born for me in the guise of a wonderful collection of Sklo Union.....Sklo=glass.
My web designer who heard nothing else but plans and plans.and more plans. Patiently waiting and helping......Jeannot who has had to live with vases vases and more vases crowding out every conceivable space...even the cats were relegated to certain spaces.
To Anne and her amazing team on the „Glass message Board“ whom one and all have been so helpful friendly and polite sharing their knowledge freely and guiding me to many resourceful sites.
Thank u thank u.
Marcus Newhall who inspired me to start such a collection...well i am not sure at the moment whether i should truly thank him or simple hate him...its being great fun and Marcus ever ready to help....one of the good guys.
Saving where i could i have put my savings into a wonderful collection of designer glass and sometimes i wonder....would`nt it be nice to buy a new pair of shoes instead.....no ways i already have a collection of those...and not that i am starving myself ofcourse...in fact i have put on a small paunch which is not so ugly afterall as i know that P... rather likes it and thats ok with me.I have given up buying razor blades...now have a full beard....hey i can buy 4 Sklo pieces for the same price of those blades.
Also to Mark Hill for his informative book covering not only pressed glass but also hot worked pieces.The list goes on to all the other wonderful respectful friends...who think i am daft..in any case... i still love them.
These designer pieces are unbelieveable in shape and movement with varying sizes and colors.Even down to those with erotic shapes....some have balls and knobs...some have a yoni...some big some small,long, short and so it goes on that each piece brings to mind a possible function of the enquiring mind...thats what i like about all this..... experiencing different angles not only as a glass collection but also fun with my pet love and hate of the collection.
Learning the history of Czechoslovakia and its people.....searching for a new experience in this far away land with its maginficent beauty.Sadly most texts are in Czech language but then most do invite enquiries.
The new page is laid out in a fashion that takes u to the designers of the period and an example of their works with full description.You will find a heading of manufactures where i have given details once again of the designers and items manufactured.The sizes given are to the closest .05mm and color ranges to what has been found thus far.Sadly The CD attached to Markus Newhall book which details the catologues does not show all examples as this still is an ongoing venture and discovery in that lies all the surprises as well as the fun in hunting for the obscure.We are told that not all pieces where featured in the catologues so there is pleny of scope in discovering an unseen/heard of piece.
There is so much more to come and i invite u all to visit us again...sOOn
Happy hunting.
Here visit the Sklo Union Guide......Guide of Designers

So some have said that i am a grumpy old man from my last blog...well i guess i agree and have earned it!
Before i tell you about my new venture here is another amazing Zurich story....three weeks ago we had a number of snow falls....picture this...i was driving home about 17.50 and it was already dark with snow falling and a very fresh wind driving the snow...the street lights giving off their feint light with the streets deserted....only two people in sight and yes u have guessed....as i turned into my street there she was dressed in a lookalike ski type outfit holding an umbrella in her hand and a torch in the other (snow woman).I guess she needed the umbrella as she wore glasses and in this sort of weather they are not functional...yeah writing a parking ticket for some poor sod who perhaps thought who in their right mind would be so diligent writing tickets in that weather.I burst into hysterical laughter thinking .... i have now seen it all...rushed home and poured myself a long drink.
Back to the new page that we are setting up all about Czech pressed glass which i really do believe will be the collectible of the future at the now stilll very afforable prices.Two new books have hit the market recently and show the stunning articles that will be loaded for your perusal.All the pictures featured are of my own collection which has spanned the last 9 months with lots of searching and bargain hunting.
Listed will be the designers and their creations also there is a section for the manufactures with full desciptions of shapes sizes and colors.I will be adding a link to both books that can be purchased with one being by Marcus Newhall covering pressed glass of the period and it comes along with a CD full of images spanning all the manufactures.It does take time moving aroung this CD but then when one is a student time and effort is needed till one grasps the styles and from there it becomes easier.Once u own a shape and have handled it u will notice the next piece from a mile away giving your heart a little jump and knowing a lot what others have no idea of....here i must add that a lot of this glass is termed as Murano,,by most dealers...,which is so annoying and they insist that their mothers bought it in 1960/70 on a trip to Venice.It has been a educating period for me and i now carry my books around showing these dealers what is out there and in fact it really is pressed glass from the Czech Republic.
Currently these can be purchased for little money and they are gems of the future.In fact they are the price of a McDonalds burger...without the sauce.!
I look forward to delighting you with my collection which none are for sale at the moment...but...when duplicates appear i will be offering them for sale.
Frantisek Vizner vase.Rudolfova Hut 1962....

So this posting is rather nothing to do with antiques...which by the way is so green in that the enviroment is being saved...nothing new being manufactured.On the other side of being green is the very strict letter of the law where those employed to enforce it have little or no brain to take a decision on whether to apply it or not.I happened to park in a steet with 14 parking bays which have a two hour limit.Having paid for the two hours i returned so that i would be able to move my car so that i could pay for a further two hours.Well there were only three cars in the street and seeing that there were plenty of spaces i leftmy car in that space and placed a further 1 france for another two hours.....but guess who was waiting around the corner...no doubt...one of those fanatical meter maids...she fined me 80francs for not moving my car 2/3 meters...as there were 11 bays empty.Now i would have thought there would be some discretion used here...but alas no ways...so be warned even if there is an open field...one must move that vechile...start it up and creep into a fresh bay.(not that green).and then place your 1 franc in the meter ......and all this makes them real happy.
Well i guess as it is said of Zurich control control control!!!!!!!!
The next green issue in zurich is the state of public toilets...especially for men...there are hardly any...and thats if u can find them...and here i mean toilets that u can sit down if u are desperate....most of them are so filthy that one carries your own personal detergent just in case.The new ones ...those metal cabinets just swollow your money and donot open...so dash to McDonalds or the nearest restaurant pay your 5 francs for coffee or whatever and there is no stress.Ofcourse should u need to pee then do as most do ....up aginst a wall or the nearest bush...not that i advocate this as no doubt there are ticket maids/personel that are lurking close by to dish out a heavy fine.Oh to fill the city coffers...tra...la...la.Its all a big rip off and yet its the law.
This week several friends....over 40 yrs...phoned and said they were depressed and i was rather surprised it all happend within the same week....the sad faces on the tram or bus tells a story...and a female friend called in desperation that she felt like hanging herself.....now that shocked me as she has so much to live for...yet she found the control control control just too much.
Some time ago i was sitting on the loo in a public toilet ....doing my business...and all of a sudden the toilet door opened...i had locked it...to see three policeman standing outside...i shouted what the ......ing hell was going on....and he replied that he was looking for drugies!!so he had a key of some sorts and blithly opened the door doing his controling.Where can one be safe today without those prying eyes....sadly i believe...no where!
Back to the toilet facilties.....we experienced unpleasant words when waiting in one of those long lines to have a pee at the steet parade...ok thousands of people but so few toilets and then they expect people to be calm and behave.
Perhaps some will say i am one of those grumpy old men...perhaps...but at this age who wants to have all the hassels...one pays enough ...for the facilities provided.Zurich facilities should be above par for the international visitors whether they are staying one star or five star.
now that i have my gripes i hope that the coming week will be a happier one without snags and petty law.have a good one.

It has been sometime that i have been able to add an entry but then when one is having a good time there is so much to do and people to take care of...well thats my excuse and i am sticking to it.Once again i have done many kilometers in search for collectibles and treasures and delighted to say that i have found several....which will go into my back cupboard for the meantime.I guess when one is looking then one finds and thats part of the game but then again it is time consumming...and time is not available to all and hence dealers like myself have an opportunity to offer to you these collectibles/treasures.
Showning in the first picture is a absolutely wonderful antique Dutch wine glass which has been engraved with a ship on the waves and a setting with a castle surrounded with palm tress.
The inscription reads......in Dutch...HET WEL VAAREN VAN DEESSEN LAND.
In the bowl one can see how the glass has been drawn and has inclusions where they have cleverly etched over these small inclusions.The base of bowl contains multiple bubbles with a three knob stem which is hollow and then down to the raised folded foot.Running your finger over the still rough pontil mark being true of the period.Where u have a flat footed glass the pontil would have been polished smooth so that the rough glass would not spoil the furniture and also indicative of the changing times.Sized at 22.5cm and in perfect condition considering that this one dates from 1760/80.


The next picture is that of two English firing glasses....so called as they were used mainly by the Masons when sitting at a long table where the drink was thrown back and the glass was then slammed down on the table giving a firing sound....imagine 10/15 of these pouding the table(more or less)similtaneously...as if a volly has been spent.There are several variations of the stories attached to this one and a quick google will give you the list.These have swags and bows engraved with a flat foot where the pontil has been polished smooth.They are in perfect condition and very collectible.

Here is a link to a short story of the start of glass....one of many available...
start of glass manufacturing and its history
and then here is a link to a site which specialises in antique drinking glasses and gives one an insight to these collectibles and some being costly.
webpage of drinking glasses
and then a page that gives tips on how to deternine if it is antique or not....
Tips on antique glass
And then there is a link for those wanting a good book ...as a beginner there is a large choice so browse through and start somewhere as the next trip to your local charity shop many pay handsome dividends or if you are a serious collector....a very broad smile on your face.
booksThese items are available....and there are more so if you wish to see more do visit the shop and lots of fun in finding.