Ref.13383
Émile GALLÉ for L'ESCALIER DE CRISTAL, Small Tubular Japanese-Style Vase in Amber Glass

This vase was created by Émile Gallé for the Escalier de Cristal at the end of the 19th century. A pioneering figure of Art Nouveau, Émile Gallé was particularly influenced by Far Eastern arts. He collaborated numerous times with the prestigious Escalier de Cristal. Founded around 1808 by the widow Désarnaud, the Escalier de Cristal was taken over by the brothers Georges and Henri Pannier at the end of the 19th century. They adapted to the vogue of Japonism while maintaining the high quality that made the store's reputation. The amber glass of this vase is acid-engraved either in reserve or in relief, depending on the motifs, on a grooved background. Its decor is influenced by Japanese art: a flowering branch stands out against a mountainous background, with a large sun seeming to disappear behind a bouquet of trees. The neck of the vase is adorned with interlocking semi-circles arranged in scales. The vase is signed with the artist's initials separated by a Cross of Lorraine. Of all the artists who worked for the institution, only Émile Gallé was allowed to put his signature on the works he provided. The signature of the Escalier de Cristal is found on the base of the vase.

Ref.14915
François-Rupert CARABIN, Woman with a Gourd, circa 1900

This sculpture in brown glazed ceramic with earth-toned and red nuances, called Woman with a Gourd, was executed by François-Rupert Carabin around 1900. François-Rupert Carabin worked in multiple artistic fields. He was a pioneer in the revival of decorative arts at the end of the 19th century and foreshadowed Art Nouveau. A part of his work had an erotic dimension, which is echoed in his Woman with a Gourd. The sculpture depicts a crouching woman holding a gourd in her arms, gazing at it tenderly as if it were her child. The gourd's leaves form a removable pewter lid, allowing the sculpture to function as an inkwell. The woman's back, with its complex and detailed modeling, is a reminder that Carabin frequented the dissection rooms of the medical faculty to study anatomy and was also a notable photographer of female nudes.

Ref.15087
Émile GALLÉ, Plant holder with dragonflies, circa 1880

This small zoomorphic planter was created by Émile Gallé around 1880. Considered the founding father of Art Nouveau, Émile Gallé took over the factory founded by his father and gave it a decisive impetus, which he supported throughout his life with ever-renewed creativity. For this planter, the artist drew inspiration, as he often did in his work and in Art Nouveau, from a natural element: a dragonfly. The insect with its prominent eyes wraps its wings around the structure of the object, which seems to extend them to form a basin. The whole piece displays a delicate polychromy enhanced with gold. On the body of the planter, other insects echo it, thus bringing the decoration to life. The planter is signed twice under the base: “E ☨ G / deposé” and “E. Gallé / Nancy”. Gallé designed other zoomorphic planters in a similar style to this one, dated 1881. The Musée d’Orsay, for example, has in its collections a zoomorphic planter of Egyptian inspiration representing the god Horus. As with our planter, the body of the animal is at one end of the object, while the body is made up of its wings.