Fragile, yet powerful: Bohemian cut-crystal, or Czech glass, is known throughout the world both as the raw material of everyday objects and an artistic medium. A selection is up for auction at Dorotheum Prague on 20 October.
“I daresay that Czech glass still ranks among the best in the world in terms of technical and aesthetic quality. It is essential, therefore, that we gradually create a collector base for this relatively new auction segment both at home and abroad.”
Maria Gálová
The Czech Republic is best known internationally for Bohemian crystal.
Highly coveted in the 18th-century, crystal glass saw a renaissance during the Art Nouveau period in the early 20th-century. In the late 1950s, Czech artists found new ways of processing glass and virtually revolutionized the industry: glass was no longer cherished merely for its functionality as a material of daily use but was regarded as a material that could be designed and shaped at will.
It quickly proved its value as an artistic medium, and crystal objects were soon on par with sculptures and paintings.
Auction “Fragile Power of Glass”
Dorotheum Prague, 20 October 2016, 7 pm
Exhibition until 20 October 2016
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Mária Gálová, Managing Director of Dorotheum Prague