Daum Nancy Enameled and Etched Orchid Landscape Glass Vase

This brightly enameled and etched glass vase by Daum Nancy is the form of an elliptic cylinder, a shape which the designers used specifically because it lends itself to undulating and soft natural scenes, such as this floral landscape. This Art Nouveau vase is dominated by two planes of mottled glass, golden yellow on top of deep purple, and is decorated with etched and enameled orchid blossoms. At the base, the leaves and stems of the orchids appear as shadows, etched into the dark ground. Once the orchids break through into the golden section of the vase, the etched scene is enhanced by bright, verdant green enamel, which gives way to their vibrant red blooms.