Butterfly
Material: Glass beads, wire
Size: 8 cm wide, 6 cm long
Age: around 1920
Origin: Czech, Gablonz
Condition:
Condition is good
Description:
Delicate Christmas ornament in the shape of a butterfly, made in Gablonz around 1920. The openwork wings are crafted from silvered glass beads threaded onto wire and decorated with pink and shimmering copper-red beads. Variously shaped glass beads, some faceted, create lively reflections. An elongated, tapered glass element together with silver-coloured beads forms the body, while two slender glass tubes suggest the antennae. The delicate wire construction and careful arrangement of the individual glass elements give this historic Christmas ornament its special charm. Age-related wear to the silvering and the preserved patina emphasise its authentic character. A collectable piece for enthusiasts of antique Gablonz glass bead ornaments. Guaranteed antique – not a reproduction.
History of the production of Gablonz glass bead jewelry
The production of Gablonz glass bead jewelry has a long tradition. The historiography began around 1550 in Gablonz / Sudetenland (today's Czech Republic) and developed in connection with the jewelry and glass industry. At that time, the first glassworks were built and from these, glass grinding shops. In the countless Gablonz family businesses, the beads were blown up from glass tubes in front of an oil lamp with bellows reinforcement, or later with a type of Bunsen burner. This is how the "freehand beads" were blown up by hand without any shaping aids. Later, the glass tubes were blown up into "shaped beads", again in front of the "lamp", using a bead forming machine developed in this region. Father and grandfather were usually responsible for blowing up the beads. Mother and grandmother's busy hands then strung this bead material on wire in certain formations.
