Art Deco Decanter and Whiskey Set by Karl Palda

This decanter and glasses by Karl Palda are one of the nicest we have ever offered. All of the designs by this forward-thinking artist from the deco era in Czechoslovakia are quite wonderful but what sets this apart is the size of the glasses which are not the diminutive ones for liqueur but a rather larger size for a proper serving of bourbon, scotch, or whiskey- perhaps with one large ice cube to accent and chill.

The interplay of clear, frosted, and fluted glass is further enhanced by the two tones of burgundy/red and ebony in sleek modernist designs. The Deco crystal and glassworks of Bohemia were so advanced. Things they produced in the 1920s and 30s were certainly at the forefront of cubism, Avantgarde, and the “Deco” style that France often gets all the credit for…but Czechoslovakia was such an important center for this technique. Of all the designers working in that era, Karl Palda was one of the most inventive and “ahead of his time”.

original catalogue 1930 courtesy of Driving for Deco