Emile Gallé - Vase - Glass

Émile Gallé (born May 4, 1846 in Nancy, died September 23, 1904 there) – French designer creating mainly designs for glass works (e.g., vases), furniture designs, and jewelry in the Art Nouveau style, an initiator and leading representative of the Nancy School. He initially studied philosophy and botany although he simultaneously created designs for a ceramics manufacturer that belonged to his father. In 1874 he settled in Nancy and founded a glassworks there, and in 1883 began producing furniture[1].

His father ran a ceramic and glass workshop, which allowed Émile to become acquainted with these techniques. He had a particular interest in nature, especially plants. He collected and cultivated them, drawing inspiration from them for his works. In his early days he modeled his work on ancient and medieval glass, producing transparent or slightly colored wares. In the mature phase of his artistry, besides the plant world, the Rococo style, symbolism, and Japanese art influenced his work. He developed his own original style based on grinding or acid-etching colored glass; the decorations thus obtained were based on plant and animal motifs and also referred to the world of insects and marine creatures. He also used the technique of laminated glass (colored or colorless glass covered with a layer of glass in a different color, in which cuts were made to reveal the lower layer) and embedding elements of metal and other materials into the glass. He created new vessel forms that often resembled flower goblets. Thanks to his own glass-coloring methods, he achieved a wide range of colors, primarily milky and matte shades.