Crystalline Cubist Container, 1911

I created this model as a tribute to Czech design and architecture. This lidded container was originally designed in 1911 by the great Czech architect Pavel Janák. The box is suitable as a decoration or as a container for wrapped sugar cubes or jewelry box. 

I didn’t have access to exact dimensions or technical drawings, so I created it solely based on photographs (both of the original and later replicas). The original box was made of porcelain and hand-painted. In my model, I kept grooves along the edges to make coloring the edges easier.

Tomorrow, I will upload photos of the printed model. EDIT: Just ploaded!

VARIANTS

I prepared two variants:

V1 - with beveled edges of the box for easier coloring

V2 - clean model with sharp edges

PRINT

PLA filament, for nice clean result layer height 0.1mm.  I printed the bottom part upside down to have a nice, clean surface on the bottom side. The top part is made of two pieces (base + rim) to eliminate the need for supports.

HISTORY

An icon of Czech Cubist applied art, Janák’s lidded container is designed as a multifaceted polygon composed of regular pyramids attached to a Cubist core. Its ivory-colored glaze and shape, finished with a black line along the edges, resemble a crystal—Janák’s expression of a maximally formed mass. The symmetrical lidded container can be interpreted through Janák’s theoretical reflections on simple stereometric bodies. A strong advocate of crystallinism, Janák surrounded the crystal with numerous speculations, allowing for a deeper insight into his contemporary aesthetics. This type of Janák’s container has been featured in several exhibitions, including those in Prague, Vienna, Helsinki, and Tokyo.

Source: https://www.arthousehejtmanek.cz/cs/vystavy-a-aukce/zahradni-aukce-2020-28/seznam-del/doza-s-vickem-krystal-6732/

Google art: https://g.co/arts/soJHgVRmYx5J6iwg9

Modern copy: https://www.goldfinger-porcelain.com/porcelain-ceramic-doses-sugar-bowls/crystalline-box