Emile Gallé - Vase - Glass

Émile Gallé (born May 4, 1846 in Nancy, died September 23, 1904 there) – a French designer primarily creating works in glass (e.g., vases), as well as furniture and jewelry in the Art Nouveau style; initiator and leading representative of the Nancy School. Initially he studied philosophy and botany, although he also produced designs for a ceramic factory that belonged to his father. In 1874 he settled in Nancy and established a glass works 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. At first he patterned after ancient and medieval glass, producing transparent or lightly colored wares. In the mature phase of his work, in addition to the plant world, Rococo, symbolism, and Japanese art influenced his art. He developed his own original style based on grinding or acid-etching colored glass; the decorations obtained in this way were based on floral and animal motifs and also referred to the world of insects and marine creatures. He also used the technique of layered glass (colored or colorless glass covered with a layer of glass in another color, in which incisions were made to reveal the lower layer) and embedding elements of metal and other materials into the glass. He created new vessel shapes often resembling flower chalices. Thanks to his own methods of coloring glass, he achieved a wide range of colors, mainly milky and matte tones.