Vase

This glass vase has been attributed to Émile Gallé (1846-1904), the celebrated Art Nouveau artist-designer and founder of the École de Nancy in France. The vase was made in the 1880s, at a time when Gallé had achieved success and international recognition for his award-winning art glass. In the following decade Gallé opened shops in Paris, London and Frankfurt, embracing methods of industrial production to keep apace with demand. [1]

Gallé’s family were involved in the trade and manufacture of glass and faience in Nancy. The family owned a factory in Saint-Clémont (Lorraine region), the Maison Gallé-Reinemer, which came under Gallé’ s direction in 1874 after his father retired. [2]

Enamel decoration on the vase demonstrates Gallé’s interest in the natural sciences and his skill as a draftsman. After attending the Lycée Imperial in Nancy, Gallé received training in German, philosophy, botany and mineralogy in Weimar (1864-66). [3] This was followed by an apprenticeship at the Burgun, Schwerer & Cie glassworks in Meisenthal, France. [4] From early in his career, Gallé depicted stylised flora and insects in designs that were informed by his passion for botany. In this example, Gallé has depicted dragonflies in flight.

Straight sided with a waisted neck and base, the vase is formed from blow-moulded opaline glass. The four faces of the vessel are decorated with stylised waves and the scaly patterns of insect wings in raised relief, over-painted with polychrome enamels and gilt.

The combination of purple, reddish brown, blue, and green enamel colours against a white ground subtly references Japanese porcelain, such as Satsuma ware, while the intricate relief work create a visual effect that is similar to cloisonné enamels. The East Asian aesthetic of this design is heightened with the addition of a square, bronze Chinoiserie stand of pierced decoration.

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