An Anton Kusak Enamel and Gold Glass Vase

An Anton Kusak Enamel and Gold Glass Vase

Hand painted in black enamel and gold. Signed (under the tree).

Height: 22 cm, width: 14.5 cm

Sure, here is the revised translation without numbering:

Anton Kusak learned the glassmaking profession at a well-known Czech factory (Kevete) when he was accepted as an apprentice in 1906. Upon completing his four-year apprenticeship, he moved to the United States, initially to New York, and then moved with his family to settle in Seattle, Washington. In 1914, he established his own factory in the United States called 'Kusak Cut Glass Works', a factory that continued to operate under the management of his son Tony Kusak and grandson Chuck Kusak for 109 years (as of this writing in 2023). Many of the objects created by Anton Kusak were made of amber-colored glass and decorated with black enamel hand-paintings that imitated 'black ink drawing' on a gold or silver background.

Important note: During the 20th century, several manufacturers in Czechoslovakia and Germany began copying Kusak's items and designs, producing very similar and unsigned objects, which makes it very difficult to correctly identify the manufacturer and has led to a lot of confusion and misattributions in auction catalogs. Manufacturers such as Egermann - Exbor painted gallant courtship scenes in black enamel using a technique similar to 'ink drawing' decorations on amber-colored glass adorned with gold and silver. Often their items are signed by the decorator who painted the object, such as Freudl or Freudlova. Items from the 1920s and 1930s are also signed J.M. Pohl. Other manufacturers who imitated Anton Kusak in Germany include Walter Herrmann from Germany, who created items in the 1960s, and Wolfgang Berndt, who worked in Berlin, also in the 20th century.