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Daum Nancy "Algues et Poissons" Enamel and Cameo Glass Vase
$55,000
This French Art Nouveau cameo glass vase, entitled "Algues et Poissons" by Daum Nancy, has roots with a design by artist Henri Bergé and features a sensitively-rendered painted enamel seascape of fish, crayfish, and hermit crabs feeding on flowering algae. The vase itself consists of an intercalaire layer of blue and green powdered glass, cased in burgundy glass, and carved with delicate algae stems. This remarkable vase demonstrates Henri Bergé's early experimentation with underwater imagery, preceding his collaboration with the legendary glass artist, Amalric Walter.
- Product Details
- Curator's Notes
Item #: G-19710
Artist: Henri Bergé for Daum Nancy
Circa: 1898
Dimensions: 15.5" height, 5.5" diameter
Materials: Cameo glass, Enamel
Signed: “Daum Nancy” with the Croix de Lorraine
Literature: Similar vase pictured in Daum Nancy: Maîtres Verriers, by Katharina Büttiker, Zurich: Galerie Katharina Büttiker, 2001, p. 25
Henri Bergé's inclusion of crayfish imagery reflects the 19th century's renewed interest in the work of Renaissance artist Bernard Palissy. Palissy created naturalist works, spangled with ceramic castings of animals of the New World. Among Palissy's favorite motifs was the crayfish, newly discovered in the French colony of Louisiana. Palissy's works decorated the most eminent courts of Europe, from the Medicis to the gardens of Marie Antoinette.