“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.
Émile Gallé Antique Hand-Painted Earthenware Bowl, French, Circa 1880
By Émile Gallé
Located in COLMAR, FR
A wonderful, antique earthenware piece signed by the great French artist, Emile Gallé (see photo of markings on the base). This beautiful, reticulated, earthenware bowl/basket dates ...
Earthenware
Galle Fire Polished Cameo Glass and Silver Cased Bowl
By Émile Gallé
Located in Sarasota, FL
Emile Galle fire polished cameo glass floral bowl with period silver mounts. Signed in cameo with early Japanese style signature. The larger top mo...
Art Glass
$1,189
H 5.25 in Dm 2.25 in
Rare French Art Nouveau Emile Galle Cameo Glass Vase Seaweed -Wartime Production
By Émile Gallé
Located in Worcester Park, GB
Exceptionally rare war time production Emile Galle cameo vase -in brown over orange. Depicting seaweed. Signed Provost Mk III see last picture for dating chart. In 1914 War broke ou...
Art Glass
French Art Nouveau Emile Galle Cameo Glass Moonlit Vase c1910
By Émile Gallé
Located in Worcester Park, GB
Rare Art Nouveau Emile Galle Cameo botanical vase, depicting flowers, in purple over blue and yellow. The flowers are set mostly against a dark blue background giving the illusion of...
Art Glass
Antique Japanese Ceramic Bowl, Hand-Painted Dragon Design, 1900
Located in Alessandria, Piemonte
O/1393 - This bowl is more antique tha I wrote. This is one piece from a large collection of ancient pottery, gathered 35 years ago and never exhibited to the public. I woud like to sell...
Ceramic
French Art Nouveau Signed Botanical Emile Gallé Cameo Glass Vase circa, 1920
By Émile Gallé
Located in Worcester Park, GB
French Art Nouveau Emile Gallé small cameo vase depicting blossoming flowers in purple and blue over orange/yellow, with fine internal polishing to highlight the blue in the flowers ...
Art Glass
Emile Gallé French Art Nouveau Cameo Glass Vase
By Émile Gallé
Located in Antwerp, BE
Emille Galle (1846-1904). Émile Gallé was a French glass maker and furniture designer, who had his home in his native Nancy. His favourite topic, which he frequently used in his wor...
Glass
French Art Nouveau Signed Anemone Emile Gallé Cameo Glass Vase circa, 1920
By Émile Gallé
Located in Worcester Park, GB
French Art Nouveau Emile Gallé medium large cameo vase depicting Flowering Anemones in purple and blue over orange/yellow, with fine internal polishing to highlight the blue and purp...
Art Glass
$2,722
H 7.88 in W 4.34 in D 3.55 in
French Art Nouveau Red and Clear Signed Emile Gallé Cameo Glass Vase circa 1920
By Émile Gallé
Located in Worcester Park, GB
Beautiful signed French Art Nouveau Emile Gallé botanical cameo vase depicting flowers in reds over frosted clear. A good size; the oval profile vase has ...
Art Glass
French Art Nouveau Purple-White Emile Galle Cameo Glass Vase With Berries
By Émile Gallé
Located in Worcester Park, GB
Small purple over clear Emile Galle cameo vase in a classic bud vase shape (sol fleur) decorated with leaves and small berries -It is signed (with the star) in purple with the Provos...
Art Glass
French Art Nouveau Emile Galle Cameo Glass Prunus Blossom Vase, circa 1920
By Émile Gallé
Located in Worcester Park, GB
Unusual Emile Galle cameo vase in dark red, and bright red over orange depicting Prunus Spinosa blossom (Blackthorn) falling from above (most Em...
Art Glass
Antique Swedish Folk Art Hand-Crafted Painted Bowl
Located in Kramfors, SE
Painted folk art bowl from northern Sweden made during the early 1800s, around 1820. The bowl has an oval shape and has been hollowed out by hand from a single large piece of wood. B...
Wood
French Art Nouveau Emile Galle Small Cameo Glass Vase with Wild Flowers
By Émile Gallé
Located in Worcester Park, GB
Particularly pretty small Emile Galle Cameo glass vase in a tall thin cone shape with flared lip - Orange over yellow and partly fire polished depicting quite striking flowering wild...
Art Glass
$2,062
H 7.88 in Dm 2.76 in
French Art Nouveau Emile Galle Cameo Glass Limited Edition Vase, circa 1900
By Émile Gallé
Located in Worcester Park, GB
Rare and early Art Nouveau Emile Galle limited edition cameo glass vase, depicting spiky dahlia like blossoms in orange over frosted clear, signed in cameo (see picture 5) with the additional super rare limited edition number 13 -raised in cameo (just visible in the picture centre below the Galle) The only Galle documentation about limited editions, like this, consist of a letter where Emile complains about the difficulty of doing them. It is not known who the editions were made for, or how many...
Art Glass
Émile Gallé (1846-1904), Cameo Glass Bowl "Fleurs des Champs"" circa 1900
By Émile Gallé
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Émile Gallé (1846-1908) Footed Bowl « Fleurs des Champs » Orange, purple on a yellow opalescent background multilayer glass Acid etched design of « Fleurs des Champs” Resting on a pi...
Art Glass
Sold
H 2.17 in W 16.03 in D 9.45 in
Émile Gallé, Marquetry Serving Tray "Pine Cones, Branches and Needles", 1900s
By Émile Gallé
Located in PARIS, FR
Beautiful wood marquetry tray by Émile Gallé, French Art Nouveau 1900s. Decorations of pine cones, branches and needles. Good condition. Signs of use. Dimensions in cm ( H x L x l ...
Wood
Emile Gallé - Bowl Cup "Clematites" Cameo Acid Etched Glass
By Émile Gallé
Located in Boulogne Billancourt, FR
Bowl Cup "Clematites" made in multilayer acid-etched purple and white glass. Signature in relief. Perfect condition. height: 3.5 cm length: 11 cm
Blown Glass
Sold
H 1.07 in W 7.01 in D 3.04 in
Large Émile Gallé Art Nouveau Vide-poche With Lily Pond Decor, France ca 1906
By Émile Gallé
Located in Vienna, AT
Flat bowl in the shape of a boat with straight ends and vertical walls, yellow powder inclusions, blue-violet in the area of the base, burgundy overlay, in various stages highly etch...
Glass
Emile Gallé, France, Antique Bowl in Mouth-Blown Art Glass, 1870s-1880s
By Émile Gallé
Located in København, Copenhagen
Emile Gallé, France. Antique bowl in mouth-blown art glass with hand-painted flower decorations in gold, 1870s-1880s. Measures: 24 x 5 cm. In good condition with wear and loss to gil...
Blown Glass
Sold
H 3.6 in W 10 in D 5.4 in
Gallé Nancy Art Nouveau Flower Bowl Columbines Aquilegias, France Lorraine
By Émile Gallé
Located in Vienna, AT
Gallé Nancy Art Nouveau oblong Flower Bowl made in France / Lorraine, circa 1904 Stunningly manufactured casing glass (rose red / violet & creamy shaded). The oblong bowl is ...
Glass