Vase
Object NameVase
Artist / Maker
Émile Gallé
(French, 1846 - 1904)
Date1904-1918
OriginNancy, France
MediumCameo Glass, cased and etched
Dimensions13 3/8 x 10 in. (34 x 25.4 cm)
ClassificationsDecorative Arts, Glass
Credit LineGift of Ann and Henry Brunnier. In the Ann and Henry Brunnier Collection, Brunnier Art Museum, University Museums, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa.
Object number3.7.31
Status
Not on viewCollections
CultureFrench
Label TextLabel #1:
The technique used to create this vase is a process of etching using materials of wax and acid. Many different colored layers of glass are blown together in the desired shape of the object. The design is created with wax, and the object is dipped into acid. The wax design remains in relief while the acid etches its way through the top layer down a layer to reveal the next color of glass. This process is repeated many times to get the desired design and correct coloration. The glass is last polished and smoothed, but remains visibly textured. The theme for this vase is the resort called Lake Como, which the artist has highly romanticized in the Art Nouveau style with a Japanese-inspired peacock appearing in the foreground.
Label #2:
This vase is an idealized version of Lake Como, a popular Italian vacation destination since antiquity. Traditionally, humans select vacation spots like Lake Como because of their beauty and natural surroundings. Humans then encroach on these places with built environments of hotels, marinas, and restaurants. But when depicted in painting, photographs, or the decorative arts, ironically, human elements are omitted and a romanticized landscape once again emerges.
MarkingsSigned by Galle on vase
PeriodArt Nouveau
Locations
- (not entered) Iowa State University, Brunnier Art Museum
