For collectors, Daum is a name in the first rank of the French makers of art glass, along with those of Émile Gallé and René Lalique. Led in its early decades by the brothers Auguste (1853–1909) and Antonin Daum (1864–1931), the company, based in the city of Nancy, established its reputation in the Art Nouveau period, and later successfully adopted the Art Deco style.
In 1878, lawyer Jean Daum took over the ownership of a glassworks as payment for a debt and installed his sons as proprietors. Initially, Daum made glass for everyday purposes such as windows, watches and tableware, but the success that Gallé enjoyed at the 1889 Universal Exposition in Paris — the international showcase for which the Eiffel Tower was built — inspired the Daum brothers to begin making art-glass pieces. They produced popular works of cameo glass, a decorative technique in which an outer layer of glass is acid-etched or carved off to reveal the layer below, but Daum became best known for vessels and sculptures in pâte de verre — a painstaking method in which finely ground colored glass is mixed with a binder, placed in a mold and then fired in a kiln.
Though early Daum glass was never signed by individual artists, the firm employed some of the masters of the naturalistic, asymmetrical Art Nouveau style, including Jacques Grüber, Henri Bergé and Amalric Walter (whose first name is frequently misspelled). Daum also collaborated with furniture and metalware designer Louis Majorelle, who created wrought-iron and brass mounts for vases and table lamps. In the 1960s, Daum commissioned fine artists, most notably Salvador Dalí and sculptor César Baldaccini, to design glass pieces. As you see from the works offered on 1stDibs, Daum has been home to an astonishingly rich roster of creative spirits and is today a state-owned enterprise making pâte de verre figurines.
Daum Crystal Vase French
By Daum
Located in New York, NY
A beautiful, small, and substantial French crystal vase from luxury Maison, Daum, in the modern Minimalist styles, circa 20th century, France. The piece is rectangular in shape with ...
Crystal
Daum Nancy Cameo and Enamel Glass Vase France, circa 1910
By Daum
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Daum Nancy cameo and enamel glass vase, France, circa 1910 Decorated with pink wild flowers on a mottled ground Cameo mark Daum Nancy with Lorraine cross Dimensions: Width 2 in. (5....
Glass
Daum French Crystal Riviera Coupe Car
By Xavier Froissart, Daum
Located in New York, NY
Daum French Crystal Riviera Coupe Car. Highly detailed large glass depiction of a classic car with frosted tires and engine. Designed by Xavier F...
Crystal
$1,232Sale Price|20% Off
H 12.01 in Dm 10.44 in
Heavy Crystal Vase Attributed to Daum Nancy, Organic Design, France
By Daum
Located in LA CIOTAT, FR
This magnificent crystal vase is an exceptional piece attributed to Daum Nancy, one of France’s most prestigious glassmakers. Though unsigned, its craftsmanship, weight, and elegant ...
Crystal
Crystal Vase Signed Daum, France
By Daum
Located in AIGNAN, FR
Crystal vase signed Daum France dating from the 60s. Beautifully made, aesthetic and of good size, this vase does not lack character and elegance. It wi...
Crystal
$2,248
H 7.37 in W 4.34 in D 3.15 in
Antique Art Nouveau Daum Nancy Cameo Glass Vase, France Circa 1910
By Daum
Located in Bochum, NRW
Antique Art Nouveau Daum Nancy Cameo Glass Vase, France circa 1910. Multilayered glass cameo vase with exquisite detailed decor of flowers and leaves etched in purple glass against a...
Glass
$1,000Sale Price|20% Off
H 9 in Dm 4.5 in
French Modern Floral Cameo Glass Vase, Signed Daum+Nancy France
By Daum
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
French Modern Floral Cameo Glass Vase, Signed Daum+Nancy France France, 20th Century Signed in script signature 'Drum +Nancy-France' The vase fitted with a long neck, subtle m...
Art Glass
Daum France Crystal Dog Basset Paperweight Sculpture
By Daum
Located in Atlanta, GA
Daum, France, created this adorable crystal basset hound figurine paperweight or ornamental sculpture by hand in the early 1970s. The sculpture features a lovely dog with dimensional...
Crystal
Daum Nancy Cameo Riverscape Vase, circa 1910
By Daum
Located in New York, NY
Cameo riverscape vase. Signed Daum Nacy with the Cross of Lorraine.
Art Glass
Art Nouveau Cameo Glass Vase Daum Nancy, France, circa 1900
By Daum
Located in Marcq-en-Barœul, Hauts-de-France
Art Nouveau cameo glass vase featuring a finely acid-etched landscape decoration depicting trees silhouetted against a sunset over water. The warm amber and deep brown overlays creat...
Glass
Daum Nancy "Nénuphars" Cameo Glass Vase
By Daum
Located in New York, NY
The highly complex composition in this "Nénuphars," or "Water Lilies," cameo glass vase, by Daum Nancy, features the titular flower in various stages of bloom, as well as in various ...
Art Glass
$2,421Sale Price|20% Off
H 4.73 in Dm 2.56 in
Daum Nancy Cameo and Enameled Vase with Tobacco Flowers Decor, France circa 1910
By Daum
Located in Bochum, NRW
Multilayered glass vase, in cameo technique. Cylindrical form in mottled orange, red, and brown, circa 1910. The decor of flowers and leaves is engraved in reserve and taken up on th...
Glass
Daum Nancy French Art Nouveau Cameo Glass Vase
By Daum
Located in New York, NY
A French Art Nouveau wheel-carved cameo glass vase by Daum, featuring a decoration of blue flowers and light blue and grey stems and leaves on an opa...
Art Glass
Daum Nancy Landscape Vase, circa 1910
By Daum
Located in New York, NY
Landscape vase. Signed Daum Nacy with the Cross of Lorraine.
French Model of a Glass Car by Daum, circa 1980
By Daum
Located in Marbella, ES
French model of a glass car by Daum, circa 1980.
Art Glass
Daum Crystal Horse Head
By Daum
Located in Astoria, NY
An elegant horse head, with sweeping mane and long neck, by Daum of Nancy France, in pristine crystal. This piece remains in excellent condition, consistent with age.
Crystal