Zdeněk Drobný

Glassmaking master, bearer of the prestigious title of Knight of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, granted to him by the French government in 2024. His entire professional life has been linked to Moser. With gratitude, he recalls the glassmaking masters who introduced him to the glassmaking trade, especially the non-displaced German Anton Schmiedkunze. “Everything I know, I owe to him. He guided my first steps. I watched how he picked up the blowpipe, how he moved his hand, and he taught me the craft, discipline, and appreciation for others,” says Zdeněk Drobný, who went on to blow the most challenging drinkware sets, including those that would later sit on royal dinner tables. He also managed to make unique works of inlaid crystal. He collaborated with glassmaking artists Oldřich Lípa, Vladimír Jelínek, Jiří Šuhájek, and also Lukáš Jabůrek. The Pear vase was blown following his design, a job he considered a matter of the heart. Zdeněk Drobný retired in 2022, having spent 51 years at Moser. For the special occasion of receiving his French decoration, Zdeněk Drobný returned to the glassworks for a short while, making himself and the people happy, to blow a completely new piece: the ERA vase, designed by the glasswork’s Art Director, Jan Plecháč.