Optic-Cut Art Glass Vase Duo – Oldrich Lipsky for Exbor, 1960s

A pair of thick, hot-shaped glass vases designed by Oldřich Lipský for Exbor, with deeply cut vertical waves and polished concave surfaces that intensify their amber-yellow and orange-red colours. Produced in Czechoslovakia during the 1960s, the two designs exemplify Exbor’s technically accomplished approach to modern cut glass.

• Dimensions:
  
  • Larger yellow vase: H 22 cm, W 6 cm, D 6 cm
    
  • Smaller orange-red vase: H 16 cm,  W 6 cm, D 6 cm
    
• Material: Hot-shaped, cut and polished glass
  
• Brand: Exbor, Železný Brod
  
• Designer: Oldřich Lipský 
  
• Color: Amber yellow, orange red, clear
  
• Condition: Very good vintage condition; larger vase with a tiny flea bite to one corner, barely visible; smaller vase in excellent condition
  
• Era: 1960s
  
• Origin: Czech Republic
  
• Remarks: Set of two

Display the pair on a console, sideboard or illuminated shelf, where their contrasting colours and deep cuts respond strongly to changing light. They work especially well with dark wood, chrome and restrained contemporary furnishings, either left empty or arranged with single stems.

Oldřich Lipský (1922–1987) was a Czech glass designer trained at the glassmaking school in Kamenický Šenov and the Academy of Applied Arts in Prague under Karel Štipl. His designs for Exbor are recognised for their substantial forms, saturated colours and precisely cut surfaces, which transform solid glass through reflections and optical distortion.

Exbor was an art-glass studio associated with the state-owned Borské sklo company in Nový Bor, one of Czechoslovakia’s principal glassmaking centres. During the 1950s and 1960s, the studio produced technically demanding, hand-finished glass by designers including Oldřich Lipský, Pavel Hlava and Karel Wünsch, combining hot-shaped coloured glass with extensive cutting and polishing. Its work helped establish postwar Czech glass internationally as an independent form of modern design.