New Statuette of the Czech Lion is Here! It Comes from the Workshop of Rony Plesl.
The long-term partner of the Czech Lion had in the past been the glassmaking firm, Rückl, which in the years 2001 to 2012 produced the luxurious lion statuettes. This year the cooperation was restore and the light of the world was seen by a new statuette whose author is Rony Plesl.
Artistic Director of the glassworks and recognised Czech designer let himself be inspired by poeticism of Josef Lada and cubist style. The luxurious statuette will be produced in edition containing 40 pieces - 37 pieces are designated for a gala evening at Rudolfinum for the 10th March, where they will be passed to the winners, three remain as a reserve.
One statuette weighs 2 kg and its height is less than 28 cm including the stand. The total length of production of one piece may take up up to three days, but it depends on the number of pieces produced. 30 statuettes may take masters of their craft up to one month.
New production technology
The metal, several-part forms for the lion are filled by injection moulding machine which is a very precise type of press. After completion of the moulding the luxurious statuettes must be cooled down, a process lasting at least one day. Then they are sanded and buffed. The base is manufactured by hand on a blowpipe; the full shape is manually finished by means of a metal mould. The stand, similarly as the statuette of the lion is manually sanded and buffed, too. The lion and the stand are glued together by a cold process and special adhesive.
Thanks to manual production every piece represents a unique original. The lion should make a kind and accommodating impression. What do you think did was this objective of Rony Plesl achieved successfully? We give our full commendation to the new statuette and we appreciate its futuristic and modern design. The only question now remains whose interior it will adorn. And that will be revealed as early as on the evening of 10th March!
