Colorless glass; cast and engraved. Circular plaque engraved with face of Dominik Bimann.

Jiří Harcuba is a widely respected artist whose specialty is portraiture in engraved glass. Whether the subjects of his portraits are friends, renowned artists, or historical personalities, Harcuba treats them all in a similar fashion, using spare sculptural cuts and subtle optical effects to create their individual profiles. Harcuba works in an abstract style that is inspired by prehistoric art. “By engraving,” he says, “we leave traces of ourselves.” He adds, “I show the relationship between prehistoric carving and contemporary art . . . linking the past and the future.” Harcuba sees himself as an innovator and as a guardian of tradition. This portrait was made in 2009 while Harcuba was teaching in Corning at the Museum’s Studio. It depicts an individual famous in glass history: the Bohemian engraver Dominik Biemann (or Bimann, 1800–1857). In his portraits, Biemann dispensed with elaborate decorative borders and other motifs characteristic of the period, preferring to focus on his finely executed and precisely detailed profiles. This interest in clarity and in the paring of unnecessary elements has inspired Harcuba throughout his career. The portrait of Biemann is, in Harcuba’s words, “my latest version of Dominik Bimann, with whom I have an eternal dialogue.” Signed “Dominik Bimann J Harcuba 2009.” For more information on Jiří Harcuba’s work, see Bullseye Gallery, Jiří Harcuba, April Surgent: Traces of Ourselves, Portland, Oregon: Bullseye Glass Company, 2008; and Helmut Ricke, ed., Czech Glass, 1945–1980: Design in an Age of Adversity, Stuttgart: Arnoldsche, 2005, pp. 165–173.