Chřibská Sommerso star bowl, cobalt blue, attributed to Josef Hospodka, 36 cm, 1960s

This sculptural star bowl made of mouth-blown art glass is attributed to Josef Hospodka (1923–1989), the defining designer of the North Bohemian glassworks Chřibská, and was presumably created in the 1960s in what was then Czechoslovakia. Chřibská is considered one of the oldest continuously operating glassworks in Europe, and Hospodka’s freely formed sommerso bowls with elongated points count among the best-known designs of post-war Bohemian studio glass. There is no label or signature on this piece, which is why the attribution is to be understood as a stylistic classification rather than a verified manufacturer designation; however, the form, technique, and color scheme correspond to the Hospodka star bowls for Chřibská known on the collector's market.

Six robust, elongated arms grow from a compact, star-shaped faceted base, swinging outward and upward like a starfish or an open blossom, ending in clear, glassy points. Between the arms, the rim is drawn into small, jagged waves, and fine glass ribs radiate from the deep blue center toward the tips. In the sommerso technique, a luminous core in rich cobalt blue is fused into thick, clear crystal glass; in the base, a delicate yellow-green shimmer appears when backlit, and depending on the incidence of light, the blue shifts between sapphire, ultramarine, and an almost black night blue.

The generously dimensioned bowl is an expressive standalone object for a sideboard, dining table, or display cabinet and fits into a mid-century interior just as well as a contemporary, minimalist setting. The thick-walled glass has a noticeable weight and shows the fine tool marks of free-form shaping at the furnace. It measures 36 cm in diameter and 14 cm in height and is in very good condition.