Marilyn
2017
Clear crystal, hand engraved
3.25 (Dia) x 3.5 (H) inches
Edition: 24 sets of 4 glasses, each with a different “crack” (1 AP)

Marilyn is a boxed set of four crystal water/wine tumblers produced by the renowned Viennese crystal maker Lobmeyr, established 1823. Each glass in the set is hand engraved by Lobmeyr’s master engraver with a different pattern of a “crack.”

These faux fractures illustrate the extreme fragility of the glass—they are the thinnest possible barrier between the liquid and our lips. Lobmeyr’s “muslin” glasses are so thin that they have the ability to modify our behavior when using them, requiring us to be more delicate in order to avoid the very “cracks” which are in this case celebrated on each glass.

Far from rendering the objects damaged, these engraved flaws make the objects even more precious, much like a beauty mark. Marilyn gracefully demonstrates our fears and trepidation concerning vulnerability. Any fear of damage is preempted; the crack is an embellishment that becomes the decoration.

“Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius, and it’s better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring.” -Marilyn Monroe

Murray Moss is an American design entrepreneur and founder of the design art company Moss, and the design consultancy Moss Bureau. He has been called "America's most closely watched purveyor of industrial design" (Washington Post), while his store has been called "the best design store in the world."(International Herald Tribune, July 2007).

J. & L. Lobmeyr (founded 1823) is a glassware company from Vienna, Austria historically and currently renowned for their design and execution of high-quality glasswork. The company is still family-owned today.

The company co-developed the first electric chandeliers in the world in 1880 with Thomas Edison, and has provided services for the King of Belgium, the Duke of Brabant, and the Court of Flanders, and Archduke Franz Ferdinand. Contemporary clients included the Vienna State Opera, the Metropolitan Opera, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and the Kremlin.