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Lot Essay
An example of the Nigelle des Prés vase was shown at the 1900 Exposition Universelle in Paris, displayed in Les Granges vitrine. A drawing of the Nigelle plant is in the collection of the Musée d’Orsay (ARO 1986 482) and evidently inspired Gallé’s design for the present vase. The drawing was annotated by Gallé himself, describing the coloring and techniques of the design:
“fleur Blanc pâle verdâtre bleuté / " bleu pâle / (marqueterie de verdâtre./voir
ancien 74 dégradé) / pétales blanc verdâtre crémeux, lavé bleu pâle / onglet violet-bleu foncé, fondu sur le blanc (93) / ovaires, stig."
A different version of this vase, with a form inspired by the bulbous fruit of the Nigelle plant, was also presented at the 1900 Exposition Universelle and is currently part of the collection at the Musée des Arts et Métiers in Paris, bearing the inscription Expos. 1900 (inv. no.13260-0000).
Held in Paris between April 14 and November 12, 1900, the Exposition Universelle was intended to celebrate the international achievements of the past century and the anticipated accomplishments of the next. Visited by fifty-million visitors, and presenting more than 83,000 exhibitors from nearly 60 countries, it brought international attention to the Art Nouveau style. Alongside the technological innovation of the time, decorative arts were a particular draw, featuring works by Emile Gallé, René Lalique, Daum and Louis Comfort Tiffany, amongst others.
Gallé was one of the first designers to get international recognition through his displays at major world’s fairs. In 1900, Gallé’s presentation was one of the most spectacular, and he invested so much time and effort in his exhibition that he almost ruined his firm: he composed an ensemble of two vitrines, called Repos dans la Solitude and Les Granges, presented on either side of a glass furnace, Les Sept Cruches de Marjolaine. In a dramatic presentation, the vitrines featured Gallé’s latest glass creations including those incorporating his new innovation, the marqueterie-sur-verre technique. Seeing the impressive furnaces with glass in the making next to the prodigious final works in the vitrines, visitors were shown the production process of the works as well as the intention behind them. The objects were no longer solely utilitarian, but also carried a message.
The Nigelle des Prés vase appears on period views of the 1900 Exposition in the Les Granges vitrine (in the center). In the Guide de l’envoi d’Emile Gallé à l’Exposition de 1900, Emile Gallé’s catalogue for the works he sent to the exhibition, Les Granges vitrine is described as:
« Les Moissons. Verreries d’art mosaïquées, ciselées, sur des textes sacrés ou poétiques. Les formes, les nuances et les sujets décoratifs ont été empruntés aux fleurs et aux graines de nos céréales. »
“The Harvest. Art glass with mosaics, carving, based on holy or poetic texts. Forms, nuances and decorative subjects were taken from flowers and seeds of our cereals”
As opposed to Repos dans la Solitude, which represented the forest and early, untouched nature, Les Granges (The Barns) referred to the cultivated world.
Hidden in the private collection of Dr. Thomas Chua for decades, the rare Nigelle des Prés Vase presented here is only one of two examples of the model known to exist.
– François Le Tacon, leading expert for the work of Émile Gallé and author, among others, of Émile Gallé L'amour de l'Art, les écrits artistiques du Maître de l'Art Nouveau, Éditions Place Stanislas, 2010 and Émile Gallé, ou Le mariage de l'art et de la science, Éditions Messène, Paris, 1995
“fleur Blanc pâle verdâtre bleuté / " bleu pâle / (marqueterie de verdâtre./voir
ancien 74 dégradé) / pétales blanc verdâtre crémeux, lavé bleu pâle / onglet violet-bleu foncé, fondu sur le blanc (93) / ovaires, stig."
A different version of this vase, with a form inspired by the bulbous fruit of the Nigelle plant, was also presented at the 1900 Exposition Universelle and is currently part of the collection at the Musée des Arts et Métiers in Paris, bearing the inscription Expos. 1900 (inv. no.13260-0000).
Held in Paris between April 14 and November 12, 1900, the Exposition Universelle was intended to celebrate the international achievements of the past century and the anticipated accomplishments of the next. Visited by fifty-million visitors, and presenting more than 83,000 exhibitors from nearly 60 countries, it brought international attention to the Art Nouveau style. Alongside the technological innovation of the time, decorative arts were a particular draw, featuring works by Emile Gallé, René Lalique, Daum and Louis Comfort Tiffany, amongst others.
Gallé was one of the first designers to get international recognition through his displays at major world’s fairs. In 1900, Gallé’s presentation was one of the most spectacular, and he invested so much time and effort in his exhibition that he almost ruined his firm: he composed an ensemble of two vitrines, called Repos dans la Solitude and Les Granges, presented on either side of a glass furnace, Les Sept Cruches de Marjolaine. In a dramatic presentation, the vitrines featured Gallé’s latest glass creations including those incorporating his new innovation, the marqueterie-sur-verre technique. Seeing the impressive furnaces with glass in the making next to the prodigious final works in the vitrines, visitors were shown the production process of the works as well as the intention behind them. The objects were no longer solely utilitarian, but also carried a message.
The Nigelle des Prés vase appears on period views of the 1900 Exposition in the Les Granges vitrine (in the center). In the Guide de l’envoi d’Emile Gallé à l’Exposition de 1900, Emile Gallé’s catalogue for the works he sent to the exhibition, Les Granges vitrine is described as:
« Les Moissons. Verreries d’art mosaïquées, ciselées, sur des textes sacrés ou poétiques. Les formes, les nuances et les sujets décoratifs ont été empruntés aux fleurs et aux graines de nos céréales. »
“The Harvest. Art glass with mosaics, carving, based on holy or poetic texts. Forms, nuances and decorative subjects were taken from flowers and seeds of our cereals”
As opposed to Repos dans la Solitude, which represented the forest and early, untouched nature, Les Granges (The Barns) referred to the cultivated world.
Hidden in the private collection of Dr. Thomas Chua for decades, the rare Nigelle des Prés Vase presented here is only one of two examples of the model known to exist.
– François Le Tacon, leading expert for the work of Émile Gallé and author, among others, of Émile Gallé L'amour de l'Art, les écrits artistiques du Maître de l'Art Nouveau, Éditions Place Stanislas, 2010 and Émile Gallé, ou Le mariage de l'art et de la science, Éditions Messène, Paris, 1995