Bohemian Glass

Bohemian glass

Bohemian glass goblet, relief cut and decorated with intaglio-engraved Baroque flowers, from the …

(credit: Museum of Decorative Arts, Prague)

Decorative glass made in Bohemia from the 13th century. In the early 17th century, Caspar Lehmann, gem cutter to Rudolf II in Prague, perfected the technique of gem engraving on glass. By 1700, a heavy, high-lustre, richly ornamented potash-lime glass (Bohemian crystal) had become popular. In the late 18th century, black glass with chinoiserie designs was introduced. Ruby glass and an opaque glass with white overlay, both carved and enameled, were introduced in the 19th century.

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Bohemian glass [bō′hem·ē·ən ¦glas]

(materials)

hard glass

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Bohemian Glass 

an art industry that developed in Bohemia in the 14th and 15th centuries. Bohemian glass became widely known in the second half of the 17th century, with the introduction of Bohemian crystal, thick-walled transparent vessels whose high calcium content made possible the cutting of deep facets.

From the 18th century to the early 20th century, Bohemian glass followed the main stylistic trends in European art. Modern Bohemian glass, while preserving the traditional methods of faceting and engraving, is noted for its integrated use of expressive artistic forms and its subtle light and color effects.

Masters of Bohemian glass production include Z. Seidl, J. Brichta, L. Smrčková, J. Soukup, and L. Metelák.

REFERENCES

Sovremennoe cheshskoe steklo. (Catalog.) Kiev, 1973.
Böhmische Glasgravüren. Text by Z. Pešatová. [Prague, 1968.]