Engravings: The Mastery of Moser

Moser engravings have gained immense popularity in Taiwan, where our master engravers are greatly cherished. Every year, their engraving demonstration garners monumental interest, even receiving local news and television coverage. The revered Luan family stands amongst the largest worldwide collectors and engravings connoisseurs, and Moser has worked closely with them for over 20 years.

Moser’s founder was an engraver

The Moser brand has been tied to masterful engravings since its very conception. In 1857, when Ludwig Moser opened an engraving workshop in the centre of Karlovy Vary, he also laid the foundation of the company known globally today. In the beginning, he engraved alone, however, he soon began employing other first-class engravers, including the best and most well-known master of his day, Johan F. Hoffmann. Ludwig Moser displayed his collection of cups with flawless figural engravings, patterned after the works of significant painters, at the 1873 Vienna World’s Fair. They were a giant hit, effectively opening the doors to the Moser brand for the entire world, including the Imperial Court. Franz Josef I granted Ludwig Moser the right to use the prestigious Imperial and Royal Warrant of Appointment.

Engraving The Last Supper

Art Nouveau was in style by the early 20^th century. Vases bearing engravings with plant motifs gained such renown that they became known as a symbol of Moser glass. In the 20s and 30s, modernly stylised, figural engravings were created at Moser, reacting to the ever-growing popularity of athletics – with themes such as horse racing, tennis, yachting, and diving.

Next, Moser’s post-war era is linked to the engraver Ivan Chalupka, who conveyed the works of designers Luboš Metelák, Oldřich Lípa, Josef Paleček, and Vladimír Komárek in glass. Following a design by Karel Bečvář, he created a monumental engraving of The Last Supper, which President Václav Havel gifted to Pope John Paul II upon his first visit to Czechoslovakia in 1990.

Painted artwork in crystal

The incredible engraver Ivan Chalupka passed along his experience to the next generation of Moser engravers, especially to Vladimír Skála. His works are distinguished by unbelievable precision and the most delicate details. For example, his masterpiece is a series of engravings according to the works of renowned French wood engraver Gustave Doré. Today, Vladimír Skála belongs to the legends of Moser, and his engravings are known all over the world. He presented his art in Japan, USA, Canada, Australia, and beyond. For the 150^th anniversary of the company’s founding, he created a jubilee collection together with his colleagues Milan Holubek, Vlastimil Selinger, Marian Staňek, and Tomáš Lesser. They brought the paintings of Sandro Botticelli, Tintoretto, and Salvador Dalí to the glass. Engraving famous paintings and bringing their souls to life within the glass has always been one of an engraver’s greatest ambitions.

This year’s limited collection of masterful engravings is also inspired by renowned works of art. For instance, Tomáš Lesser transferred the famous rococo painting The Swing by Jean-Honoré Fragonard to a crystal vase as well as the scene from Michelangelo’s world-renowned fresco on the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel, The Creation of Adam (God’s Touch). It can take from six months up to two years to engrave these pieces.

I'm interested in an engraving