Christmas Treasure

Exhibition of Contemporary Czech Glass Ornaments

Christmas Treasure

Contemporary Czech Glass Ornaments

Christmas Treasure

Czech Glass Christmas Ornaments are as important for Christmas as the Christmas tree, carols and presents. Their innovative design and excellent quality make them a real gem which brings joy to both children and adults all around the world. The exhibition introduces a selection of the best products that Czech glass blowers make.

The History of Czech Glass Christmas Ornaments Although the first Bohemian glass Christmas ornaments were made in the first half of the 19th century in Jizera Mountains, their production was rather marginal until the 20th century. The glass blowers in the North of the country preferred selling their silver beads to India in large quantities. It was only when the Bohemian companies were forced out of the Indian market by cheaper goods before WWI that the local producers decided to make Christmas ornaments out of the glass beads, of which there was plenty in stock, and which had already been popular in both Europe and North America.

That is how the unique blown glass ornaments – the Gablonz (Jablonec) Christmas ornaments – came to exist.

Soon after, ornaments made of cut-glass beads on a string became popular, too.

After 1918 it briefly seemed that the blown glass bead crisis was over, but it hit back soon after. The way out of the crisis was offered by the The Glass Institute in Hradec Králové. The production of blown glass Christmas ornaments in Czechoslovakia had been rather marginal until then, and so the Institute initiated the foundation of the Glassmakers’ Cooperative for the making of blown glass Christmas ornaments in the summer of 1931. Whereas glass Christmas ornaments had been imported to Czechoslovakia from Germany, from 1931 onwards they were also being exported, particularly to the US. About half of the total production stayed in the local market. The Czechoslovak glass Christmas ornaments were awarded the Grand Prix at the World’s Fair in Brussels in 1935 and in Paris in 1937.

After the 1948 Communist coup, the production of Christmas ornaments was nationalized and the monopoly for their export was given to the state-owned Jablonex company. Both the manufacture and the trade continued successfully. The company was also awarded multiple exhibition awards (the Grand Prix, EXPO’58 in Paris). The period of controlled economy lasted for more than four decades. It wasn’t until the 1989 Velvet Revolution – when the state-owned companies either ceased to exist or were transferred to private owners – that competitiveness was restored and the Christmas ornaments reappeared on the world market in more colours and shapes than ever before.

The History of Decorating the Christmas Tree Although trees have been subject to human worship since the beginning of time, the tradition of decorating the Christmas tree as we know it today is rather new.

It was first documented in the Latvian Hanseatic city of Riga in 1510. Sixty years after that, the Chronicle of the North German city of Bremen records a fir decorated with apples, nuts, pretzels, dates, paper flowers and candles. The tree was decorated in a guilds house as a treat for the craftsmen’s children. Once the festive period was over, the children were allowed to eat all the nibbles.

It took even longer for the Christmas tree to settle in private households. The first tree adorned with sweets appeared at the royal court in Hannover in 1662. The 18th century saw the Christmas tree – adorned with candles, gilded and silvered fruit, nuts and sweets – become popular in aristocratic families and the rich bourgeoisie in the whole of Germany. At the beginning of the 19th century, people were using home-made paper ornaments and bronze-coloured nuts and eggs.

Although the Christmas tree had not reached the villages yet, it spread from Germany through the whole of Europe.

Around the middle of the 19th century the blown glass Christmas ornaments started to be made in Lauscha, Thuringia, which quickly became the world’s most important producer. It took one more century for Christmas ornaments to gain their significance. In Germany, there was a big boom in Christmas tree decorating after the victorious war with France (1870/1871).

By the last third of the 19th century, Christmas trees had become popular not only in Europe, but also in the US. The home-made decorations from the turn of the century were replaced by manufactured or factory-made wooden, metal and glass ornaments. There were even reference books explaining how to decorate the Christmas tree properly. After WWI, every evangelic and catholic household worldwide would have their own Christmas tree, no matter their social status, and the demand was naturally met by a wide range of decorations on offer.

Types of Glass Christmas Ornaments

Hand Blown Glass Christmas Ornaments The ornaments are hand blown using a burner or a machine. The process results in a tube parison made of sodium silicate glass with high level of alkalies, most commonly measuring 150 cm. The most common diameter of the tubes is 14/15–32/33 mm, and the thickness is 0.4/0.6–0.8/1.0 mm. The diameter of the final product is about 3–12 cm.

Handmade ornaments can be either made freely (balls, olives, reflectors, bells, tree toppers) or in a mould (figures, birds, houses etc.). There are numerous ways to decorate the blown glass ornaments – silver-plating, dipping in a coloured varnish, decorative painting, spraying, winding with a silvered wire, using ballotini, glass dust or textile materials, printing techniques (silkscreen printing, tampon printing), combining glass with other materials (ribbons, chenille, artificial flowers, paper, pieces of embossed metal, glass stones, plastics) etc.

These ornaments are made in 6 basic colours – red, blue, green, gold, pink and purple – which are then further decorated. Silver is not considered a basic colour.

Once the decor is complete and dry, the stem gets shortened and a 7–13 mm metal cap is placed on top of the ornament. The colour and type of the cap consisting of a fork-shaped spring clip and a cap is determined by the customer, most often it is either gold or silver, decorated with filigree. Heavier and more elaborate ornaments have the cap glued to the glass in order to secure it even more. Bird-shaped ornaments have additional components glued to them – tails and metal legs on a clips. The finished ornaments are labelled and packed into boxes, most often there are 6 or 12 of them.

Limited-edition ornaments are packed individually.

Hollow-bead Christmas Ornaments (the Gablonz Christmas Ornaments) These ornaments are made by hand blowing over a torch and put into iron, brass and ceramic moulds, or by machine. The semifinished product are tubes of a small diameter made of sodium-potassium glass by stretching in the glass works (most often about 150 cm long). The finished beads with up to 3 cm diameter get chemically silvered and then – often in combination with additional components (mould-blown glass tubes, cut tubes, chopped beads, cut beads, pressed beads, blown and wound glass rings etc.) – get strung on a wire to form either an abstract or a concrete shape (stars, figures, houses etc.).

Glass Bead Christmas Ornaments These are made by stringing coloured cut-glass beads and little pipes on a wire, sometimes in combination with other jewellery components. Similarly to the previously mentioned hollow-bead ornaments, they are formed into both abstract and concrete shapes.

Manufacturing and Decorating the Christmas Ornaments

How Are the Freely Blown Glass Christmas Ornaments Made?

BALL First, the glass blower divides the tube into smaller pieces over the torch and seals each of them on one end. Then, they turn it around over the flame with their right hand and use the left hand to fix any flaws in the now-softening glass. Once the tube is perfectly fused, the semi-finished product is stretched out and heated further. After a while, it is cut out and the stem is cut off.

Then it is constricted, the stem of the ball is drafted, the top is fired over and the final ball – the most popular shape – is finished. It takes about half a year for a regular glass blower to master the art of ball blowing.

OLIVE When creating an olive, the glass blower works with both ends of the semi-finished product. They constrict it in the same way as when they are making a ball, but the heating process happens without firing over the top which results in converting the ball into the olive shape.

REFLECTOR This is made from balls or olives by heating the semifinished product over the torch. By sucking the air out, a little hole is created. It can be made more prominent by using a special pin.

BELL The glass blower first blows the shape of a ball with two butts. The ball is burnt towards the stem and away from the centre and then blown into the bell shape. Once the cusp is burnt, the bottom of the bell gets aligned. Finally, the glass blower uses a ceramic or wooden knob to cool it in a metal loop which secures the heart of the bell.

TREE TOPPER A longer semi-finished product is divided into three parts over the flame: a hole for placing the topper on the tree, a ball and a little spire. First, the glass blower makes the ball and then blows the topper into the requested length very carefully. Finally, the edges of the hole get softened by using a special clip.

How Are the Bould-Blown Glass Christmas Ornaments Made?

The initial process is identical to ordinary glass blowing, but the parison is only partially made into the ball. It is then inserted into the mould and is blown in there with great force, which results in the final shape.

Decorating the Blown Glass Christmas Ornaments SILVERING The process of silvering is based on the reduction of silver inside the blown Christmas ornaments using twocomponent aqueous concentrate diluted 1:24 (component A: silver nitrate, complexing agents, and an inhibitor of the formation of explosive silver compounds; component B: sodium hydroxide and a reducing agent) with distilled water before use. The two-component concentrate is injected into the ornament base and consequently shaken out of it so that the inner side of the ornament is well-silvered. The silvering process, its adhesion to the ornament and the creation of the mirror effect is accelerated by immersing the ornaments into a 40-55°C water bath.

DIPPING Before being decorated further, the transparent or silvered parison can be dipped in a special nitrocellulose or alcoholbased dye. Depending on the resulting effect there are several types – high gloss, matte, silky-matte, frost effect varnish, porcelain and other special effects (metallic, graduated, cut-off etc.).

PAINTING The dyes intended for hand painting the semi-finished ornaments have a higher density than those used for wetting and spraying. There are special brushes made of squirrel or beaver fur, and a pipette filled with “high latex” used for decorating them. The painter holds the ornament using the stem and decorates it according to the template.

Then a pipette is used to apply the glue on the ornament’s surface followed by – similarly to the high latex decoration – using a covering, most frequently the diamantine, ballotini, glass dust or coloured sand.

SPRAYING The spraying is done in special spraying boxes. It is used for dyeing the parisons whose shapes are so complex it would not be possible to properly dye them otherwise.

This technique is used for creating fine colour gradation – for example for face details.

SILK-SCREEN PRINTING The parison is inserted into a fine nylon net, onto which the design is photographically transferred. The net is only porous where the design is applied.

TAMPON PRINTING Used for decorating the parisons by applying a multiplecolour print.

foto © © Museum of Glass and Jewellery in Jablonec nad Nisou

Museum of Glass and Jewellery

The Museum of Glass and Jewellery in Jablonec nad Nisou is the only one of its kind in the world. The three permanent collections present a selection from its unique collection of glass and jewellery. In 2020, the “Crystal” addition to the Museum was finished – an architecturally significant building with an exhibition dedicated to Christmas ornaments (2022). The Museum organises short-term exhibitions, educational events, workshops, jewellery-making courses, lectures, discussions etc. There are special family events available as well as a seating area, a playroom, a restaurant and a gift shop selling Czech glass and jewellery, books and merchandise. The Museum organises the International Triennale of Glass and Jewellery presenting the best products that have been available on the international market for the past three years.

Muzeum skla a bižuterie v Jablonci nad Nisou U Muzea 398/4 / 466 01 Jablonec nad Nisou www.msb-jablonec.cz

PERMANENT EXHIBITION

Wow — the World of Wonders The permanent exhibition in the new building of the Museum of Glass and Jewellery in Jablonec nad Nisou presents a selection from the world’s largest public collection of glass Christmas ornaments. The exhibition was created by the well-known Czech designer Jakub Berdych Karpelis. It tells the lyrical story of a Czech glass Christmas ornament travelling to a land of paradise across the ocean – as the US has been their most important partner abroad. The set is designed to resemble ocean waves, a ship and its bridge, and the skyscrapers on the route to the World of Wonders.

Muzeum skla a bižuterie v Jablonci nad Nisou U Muzea 398/4 / 466 01 Jablonec nad Nisou www.msb-jablonec.cz

foto © © Museum of Glass and Jewellery in Jablonec nad Nisou

Glassor Decorations

This family-owned company specialises in the design, production technology, sale and export of mouth-blown and hand-painted glass Christmas ornaments and seasonal decorations. It builds on the traditional manufacturing procedures which result in beautifully designed high-quality products.

Every year, the company produces several new collections, and their product range offers thousands of decorations in a plethora of colours, shapes, designs. The company source their materials from local suppliers, and some from other EU countries. The manufacture based in Popovice near Jičín is designed to lower the impact on the environment.

The company also operates a store.

Glassor Decorations s.r.o.

Ovocný trh 1096/8 Praha 1 / Staré Město 110 00

www.decor-by-glassor.cz e-shop / www.decor-by-glassor.cz

Irisa

The company was founded in 1954 as The People’s Glasswork Collective, and its first product range included Christmas ornaments and bespoke cardboard boxes. Today, the company offer, among other products, a wide range of high-quality glass Christmas ornaments in various shapes and styles – both classic and modern, all hand-painted and hand-decorated. Each Christmas, the company releases a new themed collection.

Irisa have more than 15 thousand ball, egg-shaped and spike-shaped designs and 900 figurative moulds. Most of their customers are based in the US and the EU. The company care about maintaining high ecological standards during their production process.

They operate a store and offer guided tours.

IRISA, výrobní družstvo Jasenická 697 755 01 Vsetín

www.irisa.cz e-shop / www.skleneneozdoby-irisa.cz

Ornex

This company exports hand blown and hand-painted glass Christmas ornaments.

Every year, they release a special seasonal collection which caters to the customers in Europe and the US while following the latest trends. Ornex’s Christmas collection offers a wide range of themes so that every customer can pick exactly what they like. The company produces thousands of ornaments in various designs, shapes and more than 15 thousand of them are displayed in the company’s showroom in Jablonec nad Nisou. Ornex works with other big Czech and Slovak glassmaking companies who specialise in making Christmas ornaments.

ORNEX, spol. s r.o. Údolní 760 468 02 Rychnov u Jablonce nad Nisou

www.ornex.cz e-shop / www.ornex.cz

Ozdoba.cz

The history of this family business dates to 1910 when Václav Berger founded a company specialising in making and selling blown glass beads in Bílá Třemešná. He started making Christmas ornaments in the 1930s and exported them to both Europe and the US. Václavs son Josef Berger was the first to use the metal cap to hang the balls on the Christmas tree and it remains the most frequently used way even today. The company was nationalized in 1948. After the Velvet Revolution in 1989 the founders granddaughter Miroslava Juklová together with her husband Miloš Jukl renewed the family tradition in Dvůr Králové nad Labem. The company operates a shop and offers guided tours.

Ozdoba CZ s.r.o.

Slovany 3136 544 01 Dvůr Králové nad Labem

www.ozdobacz.cz e-shop / www.ozdobacz.cz

Rautis

This family business is a gateway into the world of the unique craft of making hand blown glass beads and Christmas ornaments, and it has resided in the village of Poniklá since 1902. It is the last remaining company in the world that managed to maintain the original technology of making original Gablonz Christmas ornaments and who are keeping the manufacturing tradition alive. In 2020 the company was included in the UNESCO Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage. Besides the traditional Christmas ornaments in various shapes and colours, it offers hobby sets (a DIY Christmas ornament box). Visitors can join one of the guided tours and see the manufacturing process step by step and make their own ornaments in the company workshop. There is also a company shop in Poniklá.

RAUTIS, a.s.

Poniklá 151 512 42 Poniklá

www.rautis.cz e-shop / www.perlickoveozdoby.cz

Vánoční ozdoby, DUV – družstvo

This company is the Czech Republic’s largest producer of hand-made and hand painted glass Christmas ornaments, and are one of the largest produces in the EU, too. They comply with world standards of colours and offer a range of 600 shades with up to six effects for each. Their wide range of decorations and accessories caters to any wishes a customer might have. The technology used by the company aims to be both effective and environmentally friendly. All suppliers comply with European standards. The company have a number of shops and offer guided tours.

Vánoční ozdoby, DUV – družstvo nábřeží Benešovo 2286 544 01 Dvůr Králové nad Labem

www.vanocniozdoby.cz e-shop / www.vanocniozdoby.cz/eshop.html

Slezská tvorba

This co-operative company was founded in 1951. The company focuses exclusively on producing traditional hand-blown and hand painted Christmas ornaments. Slezská tvorba is one of the Czech Republic’s largest producers, working with both individual customers and big companies. There are new colours added to the colour scheme every year following the latest trends. The company offers a range of more than 13,500 ornaments which ensures that every single customer’s needs are met. The products are sold worldwide, mostly in the US and Western Europe. The company has a shop and offer guided tours.

SLEZSKÁ TVORBA, výrobní družstvo Sadová 121/4 746 01 Opava-Předměstí

www.slezska-tvorba.cz e-shop / www.slezska-tvorba.cz/eshop

Organised by — Czech Centres

Co-organised by — Museum of Glass and Jewellery in Jablonec nad Nisou

Partners — National Institute of Folk Culture, CzechTourism

Curators — Dagmar Havlíčková and Petr Nový, Museum of Glass and Jewellery in Jablonec nad Nisou Architect — MgA. Anna Kozová Graphic Design — Markéta Hanzalová, Colmo

Companies —

Vše o Ʃeském skle a bižuterii All about Czech glass and jewellery INTERAKTIVNÍ WEBOVÝ PORTÁL na podporu kulturních a kreativních prɥmyslɥ INTERACTIVE WEB PAGES supporting the cultural and creative industries

Databáze živých ˛rem Pro˛ly výtvarníkɥ a designérɥ Pȴehled odborných škol Výstavy, akce, workshopy Muzejní a galerijní sbírky Tipy na výlety, exkurze do výroby

Database of active ˛rms Artist and designer pro˛les Breakdown of vocational schools Exhibitions, events, workshops Museum and gallery collections Ideas for trips, visits to manufacturers

Naplánujte si výlet za sklem a‫ٶ‬bižuterií s interaktivní mapou.

Plan your glass and jewelery trip with an interactive map.

Realizátorem projektu Ministerstva kultury je Muzeum skla a bižuterie v Jablonci nad Nisou The Project of Ministry of Culture is realized by Museum of Glass and Jewellery in Jablonec nad Nisou

www.czechglasscompetence.com / www.msb-jablonec.cz www.ceskesklo.eu / www.czechglass.eu

Issued by The Czech Centres © 2021 ISBN 978-80-908044-3-2