Bohemian potash-lime glass

In order to avoid importing soda, the continental glassmakers of the middle ages opted for forest glass, also called fern glass, made with potash-lime which was to be fine-tuned by the Bohemian glass makers at the end of the 17th century - just when the English were creating lead crystal.

The dominant Venetian designs therefore were to be restricted by the technical limitations of a glass that was harder to blow and much less malleable: glass became heavier, the walls thicker, the blown stems were abandoned in favour of solid glass. And thus appeared on the scene the facet cut and the "sloping" cut and deep wheel engraving depending on the thickness and resistance of the object.