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Émile Gallé Boxes

French, 1846-1904

“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.

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Creator: Émile Gallé
Émile Gallé Marquetry "Mayfly and Ferns" Coffret
Émile Gallé Marquetry "Mayfly and Ferns" Coffret

Émile Gallé Marquetry "Mayfly and Ferns" Coffret

By Émile Gallé

Located in New York, NY

The motifs on this coffret by Émile Gallé depict a mayfly flitting among a bed of ferns. Hatching in summer and living only a few hours before mating and dying, the mayfly has long s...

Category

Early 20th Century French Art Nouveau Émile Gallé Boxes

Materials

Fruitwood

Marquetry Jewelry Box by Émile Gallé, Naturalistic Decor
Marquetry Jewelry Box by Émile Gallé, Naturalistic Decor

Marquetry Jewelry Box by Émile Gallé, Naturalistic Decor

By Émile Gallé

Located in NANTES, FR

**Marquetry Jewelry Box by Émile Gallé, Naturalistic Decor This jewelry box is typical of Émile Gallé’s work. The lid is decorated with fine and refined marquetry craftsmanship. I...

Category

19th Century French Art Nouveau Antique Émile Gallé Boxes

Materials

Wood

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1920 Emile Galle Wooden Box Flowers and Leaves Marquetry Wood
1920 Emile Galle Wooden Box Flowers and Leaves Marquetry Wood

1920 Emile Galle Wooden Box Flowers and Leaves Marquetry Wood

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Emile Gallé Art Nouveau Box with Marquetry Decoration

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French Art Nouveau Cameo Glass Vase by, Emile Galle

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Early 20th Century American Art Nouveau Émile Gallé Boxes

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A French Art Nouveau lidded box with various exotic wood and marquetry decoration in a foliate motif by Emile Gallé. The box is decorated with intricate marquetry work and further d...

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Emile Gallé boxes for sale on 1stDibs.

Emile Gallé boxes are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of glass and are designed with extraordinary care. Many of the original boxes by Emile Gallé were created in the Art Nouveau style in france during the 20th century. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider boxes by and Alfred Daguet. Prices for Emile Gallé boxes can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $4,500 and can go as high as $4,500, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $4,500.