“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 "Ombelle" Side Chair
By Émile Gallé
Located in New York, NY
Gallé first designed the Ombelle chairs to great critical acclaim at the 1900 Exposition Universelle. The chairs were inspired by the umbellifer family. The species in this family, i...
Cane, Walnut
Émile Gallé "Ombelle" Side Chair
By Émile Gallé
Located in New York, NY
Gallé first designed the Ombelle chairs to great critical acclaim at the 1900 Exposition Universelle. The chairs were inspired by the umbellifer family. The species in this family, i...
Cane, Walnut
$24,000
Galle Dining Room Chairs
By Émile Gallé
Located in Bridgewater, CT
6 Emile Galle dining room chairs, signed. Measures: Depth 17" x Width 17" x Height 38" x Seat Height 18" Caning need to be redone.
Wood
Émile Gallé "Ombelle" Side Chair
By Émile Gallé
Located in New York, NY
Gallé first designed the Ombelle chairs to great critical acclaim at the 1900 Exposition Universelle. The chairs were inspired by the umbellifer family. The species in this family, i...
Cane, Walnut
Bertu Side Chairs, Chili Modern Side Chair, Oak, White Oak
By Bertu Furniture
Located in Oak Harbor, OH
Bertu Side Chairs, Chili Modern Side Chair, Oak - 0721 This Chile Modern Side Chair is beautifully constructed from solid oak in Ohio, USA. The lounge chair's silhouette is simple, modern, and sleek with comfortable back and seat cushions. This is the perfect chair for any space, indoor or outdoor. This specific wood species is for indoor only; please contact for outdoor options. Price includes thick weave fabric (multiple colors available) and finish of your choice. Designer Inspiration: "I am inspired by my love for travel. So many places that inspire me have very minimal furniture, often built-in sofas with big comfy cushions, hammocks, raw natural wood, etc. The feel is low-key, simple, and comfortable. The wood isn't refined, it just IS. I envision this furniture used for indoor/outdoor spaces or any room that needs some comfort or relief. The Chile chair...
Wood, Oak
Six Mid-Century Cane Back Dining Room Chairs
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Set of vintage-modern dining room chairs featuring upholstered seats and cane back. Matching dining room table sold separately. Please con...
Cane, Walnut
Bodafors, Dining Room Chairs, Birch, Fabric, Sweden, 1940s
By Bodafors
Located in High Point, NC
A set of four dining room or side chairs produced by Bodafors, Sweden, c. 1940s. Vintage fabric, loose trim on seat cushions. Wood frame shows minor to moderate wear. Overall Dime...
Fabric, Birch
Jacobean Style Side Chair
Located in Sheffield, MA
Jacobean style side chair having a rectangular padded back and seat, raised on turned legs joined by stretchers. Great chair for a games table, accent chair, desk chair, boudoir or dressing room...
Wood
Vintage Side Chair
Located in San Francisco, CA
A lovely side/accent chair for your home. Note the wear and tear.
Fabric, Wood
$3,893 / set
H 35.44 in W 19.69 in D 17.33 in
Pair of Emile-Jacques Ruhlmann Style Beech Curved Back Dining Chairs
Located in Reading, Berkshire
An Elegant Pair of Emile-Jacques Ruhlmann Style Beech Curved Back Hallway Chairs With Upholstered Seats & Brass Leg Cups 1930's. Very Well Executed Chairs, with beautiful wood g...
Brass
Five Italian Side Chairs
Located in Albany, NY
Side chair from the 1930s with early example of plywood seat. Chairs can be sold separately. $1500.00 per chair.
Plywood
4 Brutalist Oak Dining Wabi Sabi Room Chairs
By Axel Einar Hjorth
Located in Boven Leeuwen, NL
Introducing the "Wabi Sabi Oak Chairs" - a set of four robust and heavy oak chairs, inspired by the design ethos of the 70s and perfectly suited to complement the styles of renowned ...
Oak
Bentwood dining room chair no.14 by Thonet
By Thonet
Located in Hronská Breznica, Banskobystrický kraj
Bentwood dining room chair no.14 by Thonet. Professionally stained and repolished.
Beech, Bentwood
Set of Four Vintage Dining Room Chairs
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Gorgeous set of four vintage chairs, perfect for a dining room or similar setting. Vinyl upholstery and comfortable cushioning is combined with metal backs for seating that is stylis...
Metal
Windsor Spindleback Side Chairs
Located in Los Angeles, CA
English windsor spindleback side chairs, 19th century (2 available).
Wood
Thonet, Dining Room Chairs, Wood, Fabric, Austria, 1900s
By Thonet
Located in High Point, NC
A set of four wood and white fabric dining room chairs produced by Thonet, Vienna, Austria, c. 1900s. Mild to moderate staining on fabric throughout set. Wood frames show signs of n...
Fabric, Wood
Louis Majorelle pair of 'Wisteria" Armchairs
By Émile Gallé
Located in New York, NY
These “Wisteria” chairs by Louis Majorelle reinterpret the traditional Windsor form through the lens of French Art Nouveau craftsmanship. The backs feature exquisite marquetry panels...
Upholstery, Fruitwood
Pair of Art Nouveau Side Chairs by Emile Gallé, 1890s
By Émile Gallé
Located in Amsterdam, NL
Magnificent and rare pair of Art Nouveau side chairs. Design by Emile Gallé. Striking French design from the 1890s. Solid oak frames with original sycamore decorations of flowers in ...
Oak, Sycamore
Pair of Art Nouveau Side Chairs by Emile Gallé, 1890s
By Émile Gallé
Located in Amsterdam, NL
Magnificent and rare pair of Art Nouveau side chairs. Design by Emile Gallé. Striking French design from the 1890s. Solid oak frames with original sycamore decorations of flowers in ...
Oak, Sycamore