The necklace is part of a set of glass jewellery by Bohumil Mrklas Co.. The necklace is an example of precise craftsmanship, it is made of wound and cut pearls. Especially the pearls, which have been hand-modelled into the shapes of various fruits over a flame, show how masterfully the glassmaker in question coped with a difficult commission. The petals are matt, also modelled over the fire. The winding components are suitably complemented by high gloss green cut beads. The whole looks very balanced.

The company of Bohumil Mrklas ranks among the successful glass companies of the interwar period in Železný Brod. The 1930s were characterized by the development of art and utility glassmaking in the Železný Brod region.

We have completed the twelfth year of the glass symposium, so it is appropriate to use the exhibit of the month to remember the very first symposium, which took place in September 2012. The symposium was attended by artists Kateřina Handlová, Jakub Petr, David Valner, Václav Řezáč, Ondřej Strnadel, Zuzana Kynčlová, Gizela Šabóková and Ivana Šrámková. All of them, except for the guest of honor Ondřej Strnadel, are graduates of the local glass school. The prestige and quality of the Secondary Glass School of Arts and Crafts is also proven by the work successes of these graduates.

The theme of the first glass symposium was "The Set Table". Symposium participants approached this topic in different ways. The exhibit of the month, designed by David Valner, shows how attractively the subject can be grasped. David Valner's artistic vision was created by Jaroslav Bukovský and Lukáš Šulc. The museum's collection was enriched by four objects by David Valner, which were created during the glass symposium LSD 2012.

The author of this thin-walled crystal vase in the shape of a chalice is Jindřich Tockstein. The vase was made in 1938. The wall above the bottom is decorated with an elegant vertical soft cut up to a height of 4 cm. The main decoration of the vase is an engraving with the theme of Summer. In its center is a naked woman among clouds, and around her are small scenes depicting a woman harvesting grain and a woman binding sheaves. Every detail creates a unique and eye-catching image of this work of art. The vase was precisely and sensitively processed by Miroslav Plátek. Its dimensions are height 21.2 cm and diameter 12.4 cm.

Jindřich Tockstein (1914-1975) was an exceptional figure in Czech art. As a glass engraver, graphic artist and painter, he became famous for his unconventional and bohemian nature. He was born in Železný Brod and after graduating from the Železný Brod Glass School, he continued his studies at the Academy of Applied Arts in Prague. However, he soon began to develop his own artistic techniques and taught himself to draw, paint and engrave glass. His designs and engravings on glass won recognition and became popular not only in Czechoslovakia, but also abroad. In addition to his glass works, he also devoted himself to painting and graphics. Although his life was full of obstacles, his artistic influence endured and influenced subsequent generations of artists and glass school students until the 1990s. Jindřich Tockstein thus left an unforgettable mark on Czech art.

Guild seals are precious historical artefacts that give us an insight into the rich heritage and traditions of the craft guild. One eloquent example is the seal of the United Guild of Blacksmiths, which reveals not only the unique elements of heraldry but also the important place that guilds occupied in the past. The seal of the United Guild of Blacksmiths is made of iron and has a handle for comfortable use. The guild emblem is in the centre of the seal, which is divided into four fields. These symbols are a horseshoe, a wheel, two crossed keys and two crossed swords. Above the emblem is the year 1707, which takes us back to the time of the creation of this seal. Around the emblem we find the illegible inscription 'INSIGEL DER SCHMI', which in German means 'Seal of the Blacksmiths' Guild'. The names of the town 'D. STADT EISEN BROD', which refers to the town of Železný Brod as the guild's place of activity.

A beautiful funeral wreath is made from colored seed beads strung on brass wire. Various flowers are made from the seed beads, including roses, pansies, and even daisies. The base of the wreath is made of lace from white seed beads.

The flowers frame a photograph of a young man in the center of the wreath. The man in the photo is Jaroslav Holub. Above the photo is a blue seed beads inscription that reads "DEDICATED BY HIS PARENTS".

We learn more about Jaroslav Holub from "The History of Descriptive Numbers of Vrát" by Petr Hoření, who recalls his friend Jaroslav: "I spent many a nice moment with him playing chess, at Sokol, at home and around town, and also something during the First World War. He was passionate, yet fair, honest, hardworking, a good person, and a sincere friend, which I could best verify during our joint military service with the 74th Infantry Austrian Regiment on the war front at Brody and Počajev in former Austrian Galicia."

Our museum manages a collection of historical glass. The collection was professionally documented in 2022 by PhDr. Jitka Lněničková, who is a renowned expert in the field of historical glass. The exhibit of the month is part of this newly documented collection.

The spa tumbler dates from the turn of the 1940s and 1950s and is an example of spa glass in the style of the Second Rococo. The semi-finished piece, i.e., the tumbler itself without decoration, comes from a glassworks in Šumava. It is glass blown into a wooden mould. Before leaving the glassworks in Šumava, the tumbler underwent a finishing process. Further refinement was carried out in a workshop in North Bohemia.