Moser is celebrating a momentous achievement. On June 6, 2024, its master glassmaker, Zdeněk Drobný, was bestowed with the prestigious knightly Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, a title of utmost rarity and honour, by the French ambassador to the Czech Republic. This is the second time the title has graced the Karlovy Vary glassworks, a feat previously achieved by only one other glassmaker in the Czech Republic, master engraver Tomáš Lesser in 2020.
“I still can’t come to terms with the fact that I received such an important award. I am thrilled that it went to Moser. I think now mainly of the masters who introduced me to the craft and of the young glassblowers with whom it was a pleasure to work together. I would also like them to experience this feeling once in their life,” says master glassmaker Zdeněk Drobný after accepting the award.
The second knighthood is a great success for the glassworks, an expression of recognition of its glassmakers’ craftsmanship and artistic mastery. It confirms its unique position among the world’s glassworks and the right to be included in the prestigious French association Comité Colbert, which aims to maintain and develop the traditional handmade production of luxury products. Moser is the only Czech company that is a member.
By receiving the knightly order, Zdeněk Drobný was included among important personalities, such as president and playwright Václav Havel, film director Jiří Menzel and writer Bohumil Hrabal. Among foreign celebrities, actors Sean Connery, Clint Eastwood, Bruce Willis and George Clooney, actresses Audrey Hepburn and Meryl Streep, singers and musicians Bono, David Bowie and Bob Dylan, writers Ray Bradbury and Paulo Coelho or director and screenwriter Tim Burton.
“Zdeněk Drobný worked in our glassworks his entire professional life, exactly 51 years. He created the most challenging objects and drink sets, including those intended for royal tables. He saw glassmaking as his life’s mission, to which he gave his maximum effort. We were all the more pleased that the French Ministry appreciated his work,” says Pavel Mencl, CEO of Moser.
Moser introduces its new, limited edition of the ERA vase in connection with the knighthood. “When I learned that I would receive a knighthood, I returned to the glassworks after being retired for two years to blow a new vase at the glass furnace for the joy of the award. It was a great pleasure for me,” adds Zdeněk Drobný, holder of the order of knighthood.
The design of the vase was created by the artistic director of the Moser glassworks and the Grand Designer of 2023, Jan Plecháč: “I wanted to create something unique. Thanks to the fact that Zdeněk Drobný returned to the glassworks, I could take advantage of his admirable skills and understanding of glass. I called on the best grinders and combined their mastery of skills and the passion we brought together to this unique challenge. It was a symbiosis of mastery and inspiration that gave life to our vase.”
The new, limited edition of the ERA vase, a testament to Moser’s commitment to innovation and craftsmanship, is produced in three exquisite colour variants – pure crystal, crystal layered with alexandrite, and tempered crystal with a three-coloured core (aurora, amethyst, and pink). The three-colour core, a unique feature of Moser, ensures that each vase is a one-of-a-kind masterpiece, with no two vases being exactly the same. The colours blend in a unique pattern on each vase, adding to its exclusivity and desirability.
Only 77 pieces will be available in the limited edition; each will have a unique number and the signatures of the creators – Knight of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres Zdeněk Drobný, the Moser artistic director, and Grand Designer of 2023 Jan Plecháč.
