Rudolf Schröter
Today we have something special and unexpected. A glass cup, which is now on show at the Two as One – Design of Czech and Slovak glass 1918-2018 exhibition, a joint project of the Museum of Glass and Jewellery in Jablonec nad Nisou, the Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague, the Museum of Glass in Lednické Rovne, and the Slovak National Museum - Museum of History in Bratislava.
The genesis of the LORD set reflects the reality of the work of the interior designer. Rudolf Schröter created the pattern in 1919 and sent and example (a pint beer glass) to headquarters in Vienna, but it was never included in production. It was not until the spring of 1921 that several English businessmen visited Rudolf Glassworks and showed an interest in a new set of pressed glass. This set was aesthetically in the spirit of bevel-cut luxury English lead crystal. Schröter showed them four different designs of compotes, in which he elaborated the original design for the beer pint from 1919. The businessmen ordered three versions and they started to produce cut metal molds in Rudolf Glassworks. The first pieces were produced in May of 1921 and the Englishmen confirmed delivery in June. This is how the most famous set of Czech interwar pressed glass was born. In the following years, this set was further expanded (and was produced until 2002). The cup was produced by the Josef Inwald firm in Prague for Rudolf Glassworks.
P.S. See here the amazing glass compositions of Dale Chihuly, an American glass artist best known for his brightly-colored and inventively-shaped public installations!