Jiří Harcuba

[Figleaf]

The name Jiří Harcuba rang a bell, but not very loudly. I saw it in the Prague museum of decorative arts in a special exhibition on glass artwork, on a label describing a plaster design, obviously glued back together after it had fallen. I thought the design was interesting. Jan Palach was once a hero of Czechoslovakia. He seems somewhat forgotten today. Maybe because Bohemia has so many tragic heroes?

It was only on coming home that I had the time to look up why Prof. Harcuba's name had somehow sounded vaguely familiar. He was a victim of the Prague spring, was able to escape to the West, where he was known for his glasswork art. However, among coin enthusiasts, he is known for his coin and medal designs, notably the 5 korun 1966-1990, continued with a different coat of arms until 1992, when Slovakia went its own way.

So much history in two designs of one designer.

Peter