“Art for art’s sake” was a belief strongly espoused by the celebrated French designer and glassworker Émile Gallé. Through his ethereal glass vases, other vessels and lamps, which he adorned with botanical and religious motifs, Gallé advanced the Art Nouveau ideology and led the modern renaissance of French glass.
Gallé was the son of successful faience and furniture maker Charles Gallé but studied philosophy and botany before coming to glassmaking later in life. The young Gallé’s expertise in botany, however, would inform his design style and become his signature for generations to come.
After learning the art of glassmaking, Gallé went to work at his father’s factory in Nancy. He initially created clear glass objects but later began to experiment with layering deeply colored glass.
While glassmakers on Murano had applied layers of glass and color on decorative objects before Gallé had, he was ever-venturesome in his northeastern France, taking advantage of defects that materialized during his processes and etching in natural forms like insects such as dragonflies, marine life, the sun, vines, fruits and flowers modeled from local specimens.
Gallé is also credited with reviving cameo glass, a glassware style that originated in Rome. He used cabochons, which were applied raised-glass decorations colored with metallic oxides and made to resemble rich jeweling. Gallé's cameo glass vases and vessels were widely popular at the Paris Exhibition of 1878, cementing his position as a talented designer and pioneer.
During the late 19th century, Gallé led breakthroughs in mass production and employed hundreds of artisans in his workshop.
Botany and nature remained great sources of inspiration for the artist's glassmaking — just as they had for other Art Nouveau designers. From approximately 1890 to 1910, the movement’s talented designers produced furniture, glass and architecture in the form of — or adorned with — gently intertwining trees, flowers and vines. But Gallé had many interests, such as Eastern art and ceramics. The Japanese collection he visited at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London (then the South Kensington Museum) during the 1870s had made an impression too.
Breaking free from the rigid Victorian traditions, Gallé infused new life and spirit into the art and design of his time through exquisitely crafted glass vessels and pioneering new glassworking techniques.
Find a collection of Émile Gallé vases and other furniture and decorative objects on 1stDibs.
Art Nouveau French Cameo Glass 'Umbels Vase' by Emile Gallé, Nancy - 63cm High
By Émile Gallé
Located in Paris, IDF
Emile GALLE Tall Cameo Glass Vase with Umbels ornaments Crafted in Nancy (Lorraine) c. 1905 Bearing Galle signature in cameo Made of white opalescen...
Glass
$12,000Sale Price|25% Off
Emile Galle Monumental Cameo Vase, Art Nouveau 28 inches tall
By Émile Gallé
Located in Miami, FL
Great price! Wonderfully intricate grape and vine motif. It creates a dominant presence in person. This is a statement piece It's on sale for a limited time only. Incredible v...
Glass
Small Glass Water Bag - Hyperreal glass sculpture
By Dylan Martinez
Located in East Quogue, NY
Hyperreal water bag glass sculpture - solid and hollow glass by Dylan Martinez. Martinez's hyperreal sculptures are hot sculpted glass which is hand molded entirely by the artist. T...
Glass
Hyperreal Light Blue Glass Balloon Sculpture
By Dylan Martinez
Located in East Quogue, NY
Light blue hyperreal glass water balloon sculpture by Dylan Martinez. These hyperrealistic water balloons are made of solid sculpted glass sandblasted and acid-etched to resemble r...
Glass, Blown Glass
$1,600
H 13 in W 10.24 in D 2.37 in
Art Nouveau Relief Sculpture, Plaster, Signed, 1896, Woman in Mussel
Located in Stockholm, SE
A wall-mounted Art Nouveau relief by the Swedish sculptor Johannes Collin, signed “JC 96”, represents one of his earliest known works. Executed in plaster, the oval composition features a stylistically mussel shaped base from which emerges the finely modelled face of a young woman with long flowing hair. Her eyes are closed, conveying a sense of calm introspection and timeless beauty. The softly curved forms and delicate modelling create a serene harmony between natural rhythm and sculptural precision. The work is mounted on a later black-painted wooden plaque (26 × 33 cm), while the sculpture itself measures 21 × 18.5 cm. It is an unusually early piece by the artist, displaying craftsmanship and sensitivity. Born in Stockholm in 1873, Johannes Collin trained as a sculptor during the final years of the 19th century, a period marked by the transition from academic historicism to the organic, nature-inspired forms of Art Nouveau (Jugendstil). His early works, such as this 1896 relief, already reveal a refined awareness of contour, proportion, and the poetic interplay between human expression and natural form. Collin studied at the Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Arts (Kungliga Akademien för de fria konsterna) in Stockholm, where he was influenced by sculptors such as John Börjeson and Christian Eriksson. Over the following decades, he developed a personal style that combined naturalistic modelling with decorative rhythm and symbolic depth. He participated in exhibitions at the Konstakademien in Stockholm, in shows organized by the Swedish Artists’ Association (Svenska konstnärernas förening), and at the Baltic Exhibition in Malmö (1914)—one of the era’s major showcases of Scandinavian art and design. Throughout his career, Collin produced portraits, allegorical figures, and architectural sculpture in plaster, bronze, marble, and terracotta. His works are represented in several Swedish collections, including the Nationalmuseum in Stockholm and the Göteborgs konstmuseum, as well as in regional museums and private collections. About Art Nouveau / Jugend Art Nouveau, known in Sweden and Germany as Jugendstil, was an international artistic movement (c. 1890–1910) that sought to unite the arts under the guiding principle of nature’s harmony. Characterized by flowing lines, floral motifs, and organic rhythms, it aimed to dissolve the boundaries between fine and decorative art, bringing art into everyday life. In sculpture, this often meant a focus on the human body, sensual form, and the beauty of natural curves. Within this aesthetic, Collin’s relief of a woman’s face emerging from a mussel-shaped base carries both mythological and symbolic resonance. The motif recalls the classical image of Venus rising from the sea...
Plaster
$2,800
H 10 in W 10 in D 12 in
Hyperreal Yellow, Blue, Purple Glass Balloon Sculpture Set (Trio)
By Dylan Martinez
Located in East Quogue, NY
Set of 3 hyperreal glass water balloon sculpture installation by Dylan Martinez. Made of 100% hot-sculpted glass. Approx. Size: 3.5 × 3.5 × 4.5 inches (each) Dylan Martinez’s hype...
Glass, Blown Glass
Hyperreal Forest Green Glass Balloon Sculpture
By Dylan Martinez
Located in East Quogue, NY
Dark forest green glass water balloon sculpture by Dylan Martinez. 100% hot sculpted glass. Dylan Martinez’s hyperrealistic water balloons are made of solid sculpted glass sandblas...
Glass, Blown Glass
$6,000
H 13 in W 6.25 in D 4.5 in
Swedish Fish Glass Water Bag - Limited Edition Hyperreal Glass Sculpture
By Dylan Martinez
Located in East Quogue, NY
NEW! Limited Edition Hyperreal Swedish Fish glass water bag sculpture - solid and hollow glass by Dylan Martinez. Martinez's hyperreal sculptures are hand-molded, hot-sculpted glass...
Glass
$2,200
H 8.25 in W 4.75 in D 3 in
Mini Glass Water Bag - Hyperreal glass sculpture
By Dylan Martinez
Located in East Quogue, NY
Hyperreal mini water bag glass sculpture - solid and hollow glass by Dylan Martinez. Martinez's hyperreal sculptures are hot sculpted glass hand-molded entirely by the artist. The p...
Glass
$4,096Sale Price|20% Off
H 9.45 in W 8.27 in D 2.76 in
Antique bronze nude gladiator/ swordsman - Signed "Rudolf Marcuse" + "Gladenbeck
By Rudolf Marcuse
Located in Berlin, DE
Antique bronze nude gladiator/ swordsman - Signed "Rudolf Marcuse" + "Gladenbeck Berlin" Dimensions: Sculpture: 16.5 cm high Base: 6.5 cm high To...
Bronze
Jean Garnier Bronze of a Sea Nymph or Siren
By Jean Garnier
Located in San Francisco, CA
Jean Garnier (1853-1910) Art Nouveau Bronze Sculpture circa 1890s A Fine bronze sculpture by listed French artist Jean Garnier. A young nude woman with long flowing hair and a tamb...
Bronze
Dawn
Located in PARIS, FR
"Dawn" by Dominique ALONZO (Early 20th c.) Sculpture made in white Carrara marble standing on a black marble base signed on the base "Alonzo" France around 1920 height 83 cm width...
Marble
$3,500
H 6.5 in W 4.5 in D 4.5 in
Pair of Large & Small Hyperreal Blue Glass Balloon Sculptures
By Dylan Martinez
Located in East Quogue, NY
Pair of Small & Large Hyperreal Blue Glass Water Balloon Sculptures by Dylan Martinez. Dylan Martinez’s hyperrealistic water balloons are made of solid sculpted glass sandblas...
Glass, Blown Glass
$1,400
H 3.5 in W 3.5 in D 4.5 in
Hyperreal Light Purple Glass Balloon Sculpture with Droplets
By Dylan Martinez
Located in East Quogue, NY
Light purple hyperreal glass water balloon sculpture with glass droplets by Dylan Martinez. Dylan Martinez’s hyperrealistic water balloons are made of solid sculpted glass sandbla...
Glass, Blown Glass
Sold
H 22.5 in W 6.5 in
Galle Cameo Vase Art Nouveau French Art Glass Vase Green Floral 22.5 inch tall
By Émile Gallé
Located in Miami, FL
Great price! Galle Cameo Vase Art Art Nouveau Art Glass Vase Green Floral 22.5 inches tall . Condition is Used. Size 23.5 x 6.5 . Acid cut back Ca...
Glass
Sold
H 12.6 in
Art Nouveau French Cameo Glass 'Convolvulus Vase' by Emile Gallé, Nancy - 32 cm
By Émile Gallé
Located in Paris, IDF
Emile GALLE Tall Cameo Glass Vase with Convolvulus ornaments Crafted in Nancy (Lorraine) c. 1915 Bearing Galle signature with a star in cameo (the s...
Glass
Sold
H 17.92 in W 7.09 in
Art Nouveau French Cameo Glass 'Red Berries Vase' by Emile Gallé, Nancy - 45cm
By Émile Gallé
Located in Paris, IDF
Emile GALLE Tall Cameo Glass Vase with Red Berries ornaments Crafted in Nancy (Lorraine) c. 1905 Bearing Galle signature in cameo Made of white opalescent glass with orange shades,...
Glass
Sold
H 16.54 in W 5.52 in D 5.52 in
Art Nouveau French Cameo Glass 'Fern Vase' by Emile Gallé, Nancy - 42cm High
By Émile Gallé
Located in Paris, IDF
Emile GALLE Tall Cameo Glass Vase with Fern ornaments Crafted in Nancy (Lorraine) c. 1905 Bearing Galle 'japanese' signature in cameo Made of white opalescent glass with light gree...
Glass