Page 26 - February1999

24 NATNONAN, BUTTON B{JN,N,ETNN February 1999

rather than concentrated in a few large factories as it was during the communist
years. Workshops tend to specialize in button types: classic designs in one
location, realistics and children's designs in another, and paperweights
elsewhere, etc. The traditional methods of making buttons are still followed,
the large tongs with molds which shape the molten glass, the hand trimming
and grinding smooth of the rough edges, the intricate and time consuming
application of lusters, and detail painting. Button designs live on, we found
realistics and patterns on sample cards from the fifties which are still made
today.
"While we were in Bohemia, we also engaged in the time-honored activity
practiced by button lovers everywhere, that of seeking out every
antique, or "starozitnosti" store we could find and inquiring
, if they had any buttons, or "knofliky". Although we were
obviously not the first Americans to do this (actually we
were about I week behind a tour group with the same
goal), we were able to find what was probably the last
large trove of assorted glass buttons available, a room fulI
of sample cards and "floor sweepings" from a factory that
had ceased business in the 70's. This
collection, which took up 46 sizable crates
and had to be shipped by ocean
freight, has turned out to be an
amazing cross-section of glass
button styles, designs and
colors from old black glass
through Art Deco and into
moonglow, aurora and "Fabulous
Fifties" types.
"Pictured are many of the
moonglows and realistics that we
cunentlv imoort from the Czech
Republic. The tradition of
beautifully crafted buttons lives
on in Bohemia, the world famous
and historic home of slass
artisans."
$eautifull4 (See color pages for examples pictorials
lustereA from Jane Johnson). Qreat
rnqtholoqical in rnediurn
anirnallife opaque qlass.

Paper-
wetqht
n)n?.,