ÉMILE GALLÉ (Nancy, France, 1846 - 1904).
Art Nouveau soliflore vase, ca. 1900.
Cameo glass.
Signed on one side.
Measurements: 20 x 12 x 12 cm.
Nature was one of the main sources of inspiration for Gallé, whose style was characterised by the naturalistic way in which he depicted the elements, as if observed through a macro, at a large size, or in the form of landscapes. This vase, with its singular design, is made of cameo glass, which consists of making a piece with two or more layers of glass of different colours so that, after dipping it in acid, the decorative motif is in relief on a plain background of a different colour.
Émile Gallé began his career working for his father, who owned a glass and ceramics factory, producing designs with floral and heraldic motifs. Very interested in botany, he studied it in depth during his youth, alternating with drawing classes. Between 1862 and 1864, at his father's request, he travelled around Italy, England and Germany, taking an interest in the applied arts but also in subjects that he would later reflect in his works, such as music, philosophy and nature. On his return he settled in Meisenthal, where his family's glass furnaces were located, in order to fully learn the craft of glassmaking. He also travelled to London and Paris to see the collections of their museums. In 1874 he took over his father's factory and soon achieved great international success, winning prizes at International Exhibitions and selling works to important collections and museums. Today, works by Emile Gallé can be seen in the Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg, the Metropolitan Museum in New York, the Orsay Museum in Paris, the Brohan Museum in Berlin and the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, among many others.