Chřibská Sommerso vase, ruby red & aqua green, Josef Hospodka 1960s

This slender vase made of mouth-blown art glass is attributed to Josef Hospodka (1923–1989), the influential designer of the North Bohemian glassworks Chřibská, and was likely created in the 1960s in what was then Czechoslovakia. Hospodka’s free-form Sommerso works, featuring a colored core encased in thick, slightly aqua-green tinted clear glass with a sculpted, indented base, are considered iconic designs of this glassworks on the international collector's market. There is no label or signature on this piece, which is why this attribution should be understood as a stylistic classification rather than a certified manufacturer’s designation.

Rising from a solid, rounded base with four deeply impressed indentations, the body tapers upwards with a slight curve, ending in an asymmetrically pulled, oval mouth, with one side reaching upward like a flower petal or a calla lily. Using the Sommerso technique, a deep ruby red core, which intensifies to a dark aubergine toward the edges, is fused into clear glass with a delicate aqua-green tint. The overlay is particularly thick at the base, and when held against the light, the red glows intensely, while the indentations focus the light like small lenses.

Whether used as a solifleur for a single long-stemmed bloom or as a sculptural centerpiece on a sideboard, windowsill, or shelf, the vase fits perfectly into both mid-century and contemporary interiors. The thick-walled glass has a noticeable weight and displays the fine tool marks and occasional small air bubbles characteristic of free-form furnace glass. It measures 27.5 cm in height and 8 cm in diameter and is in good condition with slight signs of wear consistent with age.