Émile Gallé
Vase

DesignerFrench, 1846–1904
CultureFrench
Titles
  • Vase
Datec. 1895–1900
PlaceNancy, France
MediumGlass
DimensionsOverall: 10 1/2 × 5 9/16 in. diameter (26.7 × 14.1 cm)
Credit LineGift of J. Brian and Varina Eby
Object number73.141
Current Location
The Audrey Jones Beck Building
227 Beck Galleries
Exposé

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Object Type
DescriptionNineteenth-century glassmaker Emile Gallé was famous for his dramatic, sometimes disturbing, evocations of nature. He carved the glass in Vase to resemble blood-red water lilies floating on cool green water. An artist of remarkable technical skill and inventiveness, Gallé inherited and expanded his father's ceramics and glass business, becoming the leading maker of Art Nouveau glass in France by the end of the 19th century. Gallé explored widely ranging techniques that included historical methods such as cameo cutting, acid etching, engraving, enameling, and mold blowing, as well as novel experiments with powdered colors, metallic foils, and inlay. To create Vase, Gallé manipulated layers of glass. An inner, pale green underlayer was encased in red glass that was then carved away in a cameo technique to reveal the green underneath.
Provenancede Chambrun collection; J. Brian and Varina Eby, Houston; given to MFAH, 1973.
Exhibition History"The Twentieth Century: Decorative Arts from the Permanent Collection," The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, September 30, 1995 thru February 18, 1996

"Containers and Vessels," The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston October 21, 1989 - January 1990 Subsequent tour

"Defining Modern: European Design 1890-1935," MFA,H, Andrews Gallery, 8/26/01 - 11/11/01, Curator: C. Strauss

"Circa 1900: Decorative Arts at the Turn of the Century," The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Alice Pratt Brown Gallery, February 26-July 31, 2011.
Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks
Gallé

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

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Vase
Émile Gallé
c. 1885–1890
Glass, enamel, and gilt
73.147
Vase
Émile Gallé
c. 1900–1920
Glass
73.96
Vase
Émile Gallé
c. 1900
Glass
73.135
Vase
Émile Gallé
c. 1895–1905
Glass
73.140
Ewer
Émile Gallé
c. 1885–1890
Glass and enamel
73.150
Vase
Émile Gallé
c. 1900
Glass
73.130
Vase
Émile Gallé
c. 1900–1910
Glass
73.120
Vase
Émile Gallé
Early 1890s
Glass and enamel
73.148
Vase
Émile Gallé
c. 1885–1890
Glass and enamel
73.145
Vase
Émile Gallé
c. 1885–1890
Glass and enamel
73.146
Vase
Émile Gallé
1900–1915
Glass
73.106
Vase
Établissements Gallé
c. 1910–1920
Glass
73.95