12/2025 Nativity Scene with Stained Glass Figures

The author of this glass nativity scene with modeled figures made of colored glass is the glass artist Jaroslav Janus (1937–2014).

Jaroslav Janus was born on July 17, 1937, in Železný Brod. From 1952 to 1956, he attended the local Secondary School of Applied Arts and Glass, majoring in winding glass figures. Among his teachers were the well-known glass artists Prof. Jaroslav Brychta and Prof. Stanislav Libenský. Initially, he worked at the national enterprise Železný Brod Glass, and when the political situation allowed, he moved to his own workshop. He and his wife, Jana Janusová, devoted their entire lives to designing and creating glass figures.

His work was characterized by meticulousness, attention to detail, harmonious use of color, stylish expression, and elegance of movement (e.g., figures of athletes such as hockey players, football players, and skiers), as well as realistic, holistic compositions (for example, a symphony orchestra with several dozen musicians). The unique imagination and diversity of his figures can also be seen in his nativity scenes, where the largest often included more than a hundred unique figures. He always enjoyed working on them and liked to add new figures each year. His glass nativity scene was successfully exhibited in Prague at the Bethlehem Chapel, and glass figures from his workshop are represented in many private collections. Jaroslav Janus passed away in Železný Brod on March 5, 2014.