Founder of world-famous luxury glass company Moser born 190 years ago
Ludwig Löwi Moser supplied the courts of emperors and monarchs such as Franz Joseph I, the Persian Shah and the British King Edward VII with his elegant creations.
The founder of the global brand Moser was not only a skilled craftsman, but also a clever businessman. He already had his own glassware shop by the age of 24. With time, he began to specialise in luxury, cut, and engraved decorative glass.
However, his real breakthrough came when he went to the Vienna World Fair, where his glass creations caught the eye of Emperor Franz Joseph I, who subsequently appointed him his official imperial court glass supplier.
Moser then set up branches of his store in New York, London, St. Petersburg and Paris. In 1892 he built his own glassworks on the outskirts of Karlovy Vary, where he employed the best glassmakers in the country.
In 1901, the Persian Shah Mozaffar ad-Din also appointed him court glass supplier, after which the British King Edward VII did the same, and later his glass also appeared in royal castles in Norway, Bulgaria, and Spain.
The reason for Moser’s success was mainly his unique etched gilded décor, which made use of colour and crystal exclusively without adding lead. The crystal stood out for its lustre, sparkle and, above all, its hardness, which allowed for detailed engraving.
At the end of his life, Moser divided the business between his sons. During the tenure of his son Leo, the design of the glass products changed. Decorative techniques were developed that are still typical of Moser glass today.
