The Embassy of the Czech Republic in Rome, together with the Czech Center Rome and our museum, is organizing a unique exhibition of Czech cut glass. The artworks will decorate the Sala del Cenacolo in the Vicolo Valdina Complex. The inauguration took place on April 29, 2025, and the exhibition itself will last until May 9, 2025. Allow us to invite you to this unique event taking place in the very heart of Rome.
The Czech Republic is a country whose prosperity has always depended on the invention and craftsmanship of its inhabitants. The symbol of this long tradition is the hand-made production of glass, in which Czech glassmakers are among the world's top. For this reason, and thanks to its diversity, it was inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2023, as part of a joint nomination by six European countries.
For many, the synonym for Czech glass is Czech crystal, a hard glass with a high sparkle and luster, hand-blown, decorated with painting, engraving and, above all, cutting. It began to be exported to the world in large quantities soon after it was discovered in southern Bohemia in the 1670s. Proof of its extraordinary popularity is the privilege granted to Murano glassmaker Giuseppe Briati to melt Bohemian crystal in 1737. The hitherto unrivaled Venetian glassmaking, which had excelled in blown glass smelting techniques for centuries, now had competition to contend with.
Cut glass is a very demanding glassmaking technique, both physically and mentally. A single mistake is enough and often months of work can be wasted. Master cutters and designers who can create a suitable and at the same time innovative shape or decor are therefore extremely valued. Fortunately, Czech glassmaking does not suffer from a lack of them. And the artfully cut surface of glass, reminiscent of a magical water surface, loses none of its appeal. Seventeen excellent examples of contemporary Czech luxury hand-blown and cut glass were symbolically selected for the exhibition - original and design unique pieces or parts of limited collections. Each one is different, with its own signature and character, but always cut to perfection.
The artists exhibiting at the exhibition are:
• IRDS: Ingrid Račková & David Suchopárek
• Studio Lukáš Jabůrek: Lukáš Jabůrek
• AZ Design: Aleš Zvěřina
• Ladislav Ševčík - Bohemia Crystal
• Rückl: s návrhy Kateřiny Handlové a Ronyho Plesla
• Vagnerglass: Daniel Vágner
Source: https://rome.czechcentres.cz/program/magicka-hladina
© Photo: Muzeum skla a bižuterie Jablonec nad Nisou
30. 04. 2025 - 10. 05. 2025
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