From Sketch to Shine
In From Sketch to Shine you’ll discover how Maastricht became a centre for both glass and ceramics. Designers often worked for several Maastricht factories at the same time, causing ideas, techniques, and forms to flow continuously between ceramic and glass production. The exhibition highlights this interconnectedness: you follow the making process from early sketches, through moulds, copper and printing plates, to finished objects, and see how the same designers left their mark on both material traditions.
Masterfully Mechanical
Factories such as Petrus Regout – De Sphinx, Société Céramique, Mosa and later the Kristalunie put the city on the map as a production capital from the 19th century onwards. In this part of the exhibition, you’ll see how Maastricht continued to develop as an industrial pioneer: from tableware to decorative pieces and everyday design. Among the display cases you’ll find remarkable sketches, printing plates, moulds, stories from former employees, and iconic designs that continue to inspire today.
Kristalunie Maastricht
The Kristalunie collaborated with leading designers such as Willem Jacob Rozendaal and Max Verboeket. Their tableware, vases, and bowls show the shift from craftsmanship to modern industrial design. In the cases, you’ll find original sketches and production tools (moulds, copper plates) displayed alongside the final objects. A large part of this extraordinary glass collection is on loan from the Discovery Museum and builds on the exhibition presented there in 2025.
The presentation also highlights the recent end of glass production in Maastricht. In 2026, the O-I Manufacturing factory - successor to the Kristalunie - closed its doors, marking the end of two centuries of glassmaking in the city. At the same time, we showcase how Maastricht’s making tradition lives on in the work of young glass artist Emmy Mevissen, who brings a new, personal character to the material.
On view from 10 April 2026!
