Vases

Before describing the object under consideration, we must make an important clarification; the artifact, one of many that we will publish over time, is part of the museum collection of a historic Florentine crystal grinder that unfortunately closed recently. It is the Marcello Galgani & Sons company, whose completely manual and artisanal work has not withstood the disproportionate advance of mass-produced mechanical processes! Marcello Galgani began his craft as a grinder and restorer in 1960; as the years went by, Marcello mastered and became familiar with particular techniques and shapes, resulting in the production of objects that manage to retain the freshness of grinding and engraving, the warmth and softness of light, and the inimitable flavor of unique artifacts. After several years, his son Lorenzo, who grew up among crystals, also entered the business and immediately became passionate about this ancient craft with skill and ability. Stimulated by the aesthetic sense of the past, father and son, set up a workshop in which the shapes they researched and created themselves are mouth-blown by traditional Tuscan glassmakers in Empoli, then ground and engraved using ancient sixteenth-century techniques, with motifs born from the Galgani's inexhaustible imagination or culturally inspired by designs of objects seen and studied in Florentine museums (Uffizi, Galleria Palatina, Museo degli Argenti, etc.). Marcello and Lorenzo Galgani were also Masters in the difficult art of restoration, bringing rare and precious objects back to life. As mentioned the company recently closed and disposed of all its last production, and only Marcello's old private museum collection remained, which includes unique and special objects created over time, a collection that the craftsman made available to us for a planned sale. All of the objects were made entirely by hand with old grinding wheels, but there were mainly two tools that allowed the creation of masterpieces: the right hand and the left hand of the master craftsman. Ancient glassmaking techniques were used for all the ground and engraved products: first, the object was ground with an emery wheel fed continuously by a jet of abrasive sand and water, then re-polished with a very fine-grained sandstone wheel also fed with water; the engravings were done freehand using as many as 10-15 small stone wheels for each design (flowers, branches, animals, etc. ); then the object was polished and shined; we must make, at this point, an important clarification on these last two operations: towards the end of the 1960s acid crystal polishing was devised, the object was immersed and rotated in a solution of sulfuric acid, fluoridic acid and water and in a short time all the defects left by the previous processes were eliminated, it was a fast, industrial operation that allowed to lower costs considerably, with discrete but not excellent results. But for Galgani's products polishing is done with a cork bark wheel wet with water and pumice, to make the surfaces more transparent, and finally polishing was achieved with a felt wheel wet with a paste of water, iron oxide, and cerium oxide. This series of processes takes an average of two days of work( sometimes much longer) for each object, each engraving or grinding is the result of the creative inventiveness of the two artisans, inventiveness that transforms crystal into reality material of the highest aesthetic value and inestimable value. All the items in the entire collection have never been used; they were part of the exhibition. Large crystal vase with a black base; the decorations, purely Art Noveau, represent graceful butterflies and dragonflies in a peaceful lake landscape. The object is "one-of-a-kind" signed by the Master; it was created in Marcello Galgani's workshop in 1982 and made with the techniques (grinding, engraving, and polishing) we explained in the description; for the shape, the Master was inspired by a vase found in a painting, preserved in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence by the 16th-century painter Jacopo Ligozzi...

Meissen porcelain pot-pourri vase, Germany, 19th century.

Very decorative Loetz Witwe glass vase in decoration Cobalt Papillon from the Art Nouveau period in Bohemia, circa 1903. This gorgeous vase from the workshops in Klostermuehle shows ...

Pair of very large floral Rococo-style Meissen potpourri vases German, Late 19th Century Height 89cm, width 44cm, depth 33cm These charming vases were manufactured by Meissen, Europe’s oldest porcelain manufactory. Each feature impressive floral and figurative design representational of the best of German porcelain wares. The pieces are topped by richly ornamented lids. Surmounted by extensively applied three-dimensional flowers and greenery, the designs create the illusion of a real flower bouquet. Below the flower bunch, the porcelain base is revealed. Decorated with rocaille motifs and coloured in pale blue, pink and shining gold, the pierced detailing enables the easy diffusion of potpourri scent. Rococo style genre scenes adorn the baluster-shaped body of each vase. Set in a woodland, the intricate paintings portray figures dressed in typical 18th century garments. On the second vase, a couple is joined by a lady in a reclined position holding a basket full of flowers. A pair of twin pale blue rocaille-shaped handles are mounted on both sides of the vases. Richly decorated with butterflies, roses, carnations and sweet peas, the design is completed with delicate floral composition on the white porcelain ground. Below the handles, a brown-haired winged putto is seen reaching towards the front. The bright blue cloth covering parts of his body stands out against his soft, pale skin. The base of the vases is shaped with further rocaille forms, the detailing highlighted in gilt. A large female figure, in a similar position to the putto, reaches forward holding a basket of flowers. The flower types are identical to the larger mounts on other parts of the vases, demonstrating the makers' exquisite skill to make intricate porcelain details in various forms, shapes and sizes while maintaining their real-life appearance. Both vases stand on porcelain stands, supported on four scrolled feet. Each is decorated with yellow, orange, blue, cream, red and purple flowers. The sides are painted with Rococo style genre scenes and floral bouquets. The pieces are marked with the blue crossed sword mark and incised ‘B.C’. Including both naturalistic and figurative ornaments, these stunning Meissen porcelain potpourri vases...

This exquisite Art Nouveau vase by Émile Gallé in Nancy is statement pieces in the room. Signed E. Gallé. Large Flattened banjo form cabinet vase with red currant decoration in clea...

Art Nouveau glass vase by historic Loetz with engraved silver overlay, ca 1900. Voluptuous waisted form with pinched shoulder and wavy turned-down mouth. Overlay in form of whiplash ...

This French Art Nouveau enameled and etched "Fleurs et Abeilles" glass vase by Daum Nancy features an unusual and wildly undulating form that is countered neatly by the tightly executed landscape that decorates its organic curves, bulges, dips and valleys. Climbing from a deeply, darkly colored base upward to the bright, nearly translucent bright yellow rim of the vase are a field of ultra-finely rendered red orchid blooms with framing leaves...

Beautiful and large, antique Murano hand blown Millefiori Murrina flower mosaic Italian art glass double handles vase. Documented to the Fratelli Toso company, circa 1900-1920. Amazi...

A tall and slender vase "Oignons de Jemeppe" from a series of soliflora vessels made by a branch of Val Saint Lambert in Jemeppe-sur-Meuse near Liège from 1909-1927. The design is sometimes attributed to Leon Ledru, more often to the portfolio of Romain & Jeanne Gevaert. As a reference in literature "L'Europe de l'art verrier", Giuseppe Cappa, Mardaga éditeur, Liège, 1991, page 483, N° 880 is a good source. These works with their humorous title Onions of Jemeppe are always opaque, this particular one is made from cased glass : Colorless and opal beige and rolled in dark blue pulled glass applications. The vessel is signed: VSL (blue stamp...

Beautiful, graceful, Art Nouveau Period, sterling silver vase, having a trefoil-shaped base, Sheffield, England, year- hallmarked for 1903, William Mammatt and Son - makers. Measures...

Vintage cased tango orange glass vase with black accent features elegant, minimal shape and eye-catching color palette. Deep, jewel-toned, coral orange color dominates the design; t...

A museum piece of French Art Nouveau glass art: Lamp with baluster-shaped foot on a stepped, flat, round stand raised in the centre, hemispherical shade, slightly heat-stretched and pressed upwards on four sides, made of multi-layered glass with coloured powder fusions, predominantly in yellow-orange, red, brown, green and blue-violet tones, with highly etched vine leaves and grapevine decoration, two fully sculpted snails on the foot as a special accent, Cameo signature ‘DAUM NANCY’ with Lorraine cross on the foot in the lower area, and on the shade, which rests on a patinated metal mount, which also carries the threads for the light sources, one at the top and one inside the foot. Technique: Handmade cameo glass Glass overlaid with several layers, with high-cut worked out motifs. Since the middle of the 19th century, the design has also been done by etching. Cameo glass vessels were already being made in antiquity; cameo glass vessels were already being made in ancient times, and at the end of the 19th century this glass art was further developed, especially in Nancy. Manufactory: Daum Frères / Nancy, Lorraine, France Dating: Circa 1905 Dimensions: Height: 53,5 cm / 21.06 in Diameter: 32,0 cm / 12.59 in Bibliography: Carolus Hartmann, Glasmarken-Lexikon / Encyclopedia of Glass Marks, Stuttgart / Germany 1997, Signature number 2984 on page 148, and page 561: Daum Frères & Cie, Verreries de Nancy Condition: Very good The electrification is functional, but should be renewed for safety reasons. About the design: The development of Art Nouveau glass art coincides with a revolution in lighting, the significance of which we can no longer fully appreciate today in the 21st century. Around 1880-1890, oil lamps and paraffin lamps were still almost unrivalled in every household. It was not until the beginning of the 20th century that the ‘electricity fairy’ emerged as a remarkable advance and gradually found its way into the daily lives of all social classes. The glassmakers at the Ecole de Nancy were true pioneers and eagerly seized the opportunity to use electricity to illuminate the colours applied to the glass. Colour was one of the main concerns of the master glassmakers at the Ecole de Nancy. Emile and Antonin Daum returned to the colours that had made the stained glass of the Middle Ages so splendid and extended the palette of colours in the glass mass as they needed it for the floral motifs and exact representations of nature. But the modulation of the colours, their arrangement in juxtaposed patches, the technique that the Impressionist painters practised on their canvases at the same time, was difficult to achieve due to the nature of the glass melted in a large mass. To achieve this richness of expression, around 1900 Daum developed ‘the process of applying glass powder and enamel to the outside of the vases to create coloured backgrounds or decorative spots’, according to the report of the jury of the 1900 World Exhibition. The field of naturalistic, contrasting and shimmering colours was one in which Antonin Daum excelled. This new technical process made it possible to create the symphonies of colour that we find on the ‘Vignes et escargots’ lamp...

A beautiful Art Nouveau Iridescent Glass Vase in Blue, Green and Amethyst with Gilt decorated Pulled Feather decoration. The vase is of a lovely form, the perfect height for a decora...

This blue and white Delft jar was made in the Netherlands in the early 18th century, circa 1730. The jar is covered in a gorgeous light blue glaze traditional to much early 18th ce...

Muller Feres The heart of the company was formed by five brothers (Henri, Desire, Eugene, Pierre, Victor) from a glass making family who trained and worked at the Galle factory. Henr...

Lovely, early 20th century glass vase with frilly edge coming from the famous Art Nouveau period in Austria around 1900. The mouthblown light pink flashed...

This is a Lalique Crystal Champs- Elysses medium size oval bowl vase. It depicts multiple horse chestnut leaves arranged around a circular center base. Below the base, it is the acid...

Rare and probably unique Art Nouveau lustre glazed art pottery vase by Cranston Pottery and made around 1900. Probably an exhibition piece this lightl...

Beautiful antique Murano hand blown blue, green and white Millefiori Murrina flower mosaic Italian art glass decorative vase. Documented to the Fratelli Toso Company, circa 1900-1920...

Extraordinary pair of vases, in the Secession style, originals from the Art Nouveau period, made around 1910 by the famous Villeroy and Boch factory, Dresden, Germany. The vases eac...

A fine antique French Art Nouveau Emille Galle cameo glass vase, circa 1900. The stem vase of a tapering conical form and finely wheel carved and acid etc...

This exquisite multi colored Art Nouveau vase by Émile Gallé in Nancy is statement pieces in the room. Signed E. Gallé. Vase with red currant decoration in frosted glass internally ...

Brown glazed ceramic amphora vase, with striking asymmetrical two handles design, fabricated in the early 1900s.

Art Nouveau Classical sterling silver vase. Made by Tiffany & Co. in New York. Baluster on domed foot with scalloped leaf and scroll rim. Twisted fluting with leafing scroll terminal...

Hand-built vase of an experimental design, possibly for exhibition, as it is unmarked. Note: We highly recommend shipping through 1stDibs for its cost effectiveness, full insurance ...

An encounter with Massier’s luster-glazed ceramics is an embarkation on an acid-colored trip, the sort of exploration which inspires deep reflection and requires transparency. Clemen...

A very fine quality Art Nouveau Austrian or Bohemian opalescent art glass egg shaped vase with shaped and pinched flower shaped opening attributed to Kralik or possibly Loetz and dat...

A fine and stunning Art Nouveau German pair of hand painted art pottery vases with floral designs made by the renowned manufactory of Royal Bonn and dating from around 1900. Royal B...

A ca. 1920's French Art Nouveau "Epinettes" cameo glass vase by La Verre Français. The acid engraved yellow and maroon glass shows "epinettes", flowers resemb...

A fine antique art glass vase. By Lundberg Studios. Comprised of a trumpet shaped iridescent favrile glass vase with a pulled peacock feather pattern mounted on a trumpet footed co...

Art Nouveau Green iridescent glass Pique Fleurs' vase by Loetz' with Grille Subtle, hand blown glass vase in the Art Deco style. This design for vases is often called 'Pique fleurs'...

A delightful Art Nouveau Royal Worcester urn shaped twin handled porcelain vase hand painted with floral designs dated 1905. The lightly potted vase stands on a narrow round foot rim...

Fine Galle Cameo glass cabinet vase, with lavender cameo floral decoration, signed in the glass. Measure: The opening is 1.75" diameter.

Beautiful pink and white acid etched vase with decorations of maple leaf and samara seeds by the French 1900s Art Nouveau Manufacture Legras. Signed in the vase. Very good condition...

Antique American Art Nouveau Rookwood three handled vellum vase, Lorinda Epply, 1915. The blue vase of reversed bell shaped with three elongated handles, around the wide mouth of the...

Loetz Mixed Cobalt, Green and Red Papillon Glass Vase. A rare mixed color Iridescent papillon Art Nouveau art glass vase mounted with a scrolled pewter mount in wonderful condition ready to join as the crown of your collection. Rubin (Ruby) Papillon Decor Czech Republic Circa 1900 Pewter mount with impressed stamp marks "1670" and crow and lion in shield marks for the Van Houten Manufacturing Co. Height: 10.5 Inches X 5 Inch diameter Condition: Excellent in original condition commensurate of age and use. The Loetz glassworks existed in Klostermuhle, Austria, for just over a hundred years, starting from 1840. But its heyday was during the life-time of Max Ritter Von Spaun, grandson of the original Johann Loetz who had founded the company. Von Spaun took over the company in 1879 and ran it until 1908, a year before his death. He was assisted by Eduard Prochaska, his technical specialist, and together they invented, designed and produced a whole series of wonderful new types of glass, taking out several patents and winning awards at all the major world exhibitions during the 1890's and the first years of the new century. The Loetz company were amongst the leaders in Art Nouveau design and expecially in irridescent art glass. "Papillon" glass, like the vase on the left, is sometimes known today as "oil spot" glass. Another favourite Loetz colouring was irridized glass with pulled trails called "Phenomenon" glass. There were irridized vases with ribbons of metallic colours winding over the surface, and many spectacular designs with applied trails of beautiful colours, or simply pulled out of the body of the glass to form handles or decoration. About 1900 the company started collaborating with outside designers, and some great artists designed pieces for Lotz, notably Joseph Hofmann, Koloman Moser, Maria Kirchner, and Hofstatter. In 1908 Loetz was taken over by Max Von Spaun's son, also called Max, and although it struggled financially (going through bankruptcy in 1911 and again in 1931) there were several great designers whose work was produced by Loetz during those years and through the art deco period. These included Adolf Beckert...

Dreamlike, very rare Loetz Witwe glass vase, decor "Cytisus Yellow" with silver overlay out of Bohemia, circa 1902. The Cytisus decor is definit...

Striking Art Nouveau jug was designed by Richard Teschner in 1906 for Lötz Witwe, Klostermühle. It was made in mould-blown technique in opal or alabaster white glass with uranium green glass applications. Comb and long moustache are green, and eyes and pupils are made of yellow and red glass. The jug can be identified by multiple veritable online and printed resources; it was manufactured in clear and opal glass with both uranium green and clear green applications; some resources have the opal one listed as model no. 4506, but we haven't seen any mentions of uranium glass anywhere, making this piece rather rare and unusual. This piece will work very well in any style of interior or would make a great gift for an art and design enthusiast. The jug is in good antique condition with light, age-appropriate signs on wear on the bottom. Both sides of moustache have sharp ends; upon close examination of pictures of Merman jugs that were listed as "in perfect condition" and had the same sharp ends, we came to a conclusion that the sharp ends must be created as a part of manufacturing process during the application of long, thin strands of stretched glass...

Note: We highly recommend shipping through 1stDibs for its cost effectiveness, full insurance coverage, and reliable handling. While standard parcel services are an option, the defau...

Art Nouveau Pewter Vase, Early 20th Century, France. This beautiful Art Nouveau period conical vase on 4 leaf-like feet features tall, flowering plant-shaped elongated handles and en...

Daum Freres, Nancy, France, late 19th century large pitcher. An exquisite Art Nouveau glass vase/pitcher by Daum Nancy, roughened acid etched surface with gilt and white enameled mis...

An encounter with Massier’s luster-glazed ceramics is an embarkation on an acid-colored trip, the sort of exploration which inspires deep reflection and requires transparency. Clemen...

This French Art Nouveau pink opaline glass vase, hand-blown and decorated circa 1896, exemplifies the era’s love of organic forms and intricate craftsmanship. Of baluster form, the v...

Art Nouveau double gourd studio pottery vase - featuring multi-color splashed glazes with an iridescent finish - all on a cream ceramic ground - wheel thrown - unsigned - inscribed C...

This elegant Art Nouveau vase was realized in the England by the storied maker Wedgwood circa 1890. It features Art Nouveau stylized foliate patterns in caramel and crimson with an i...

A fine antique miniature French art glass vase. By Gallé. In light pink. With acid-cut back cameo hydrangea flowers in greens & blues. Signed "Gallé" to the side. Simply a wonde...

Made circa 1780, this 18th century Dutch Delft vase was hand painted with floral decoration of flowers and scrolling vines. A beautiful deep cobalt blue covers most of the surface....

This tall and rare Tiffany Studios jack in the pulpit vase has an inverted saucer foot with opalescent wafer transition stem to ...

Attributed to Lucien Levy Dhurmer for Clement Massier. An encounter with Massier’s luster-glazed ceramics is an embarkation on an acid-colored trip, the sort of exploration which in...

Galle Cameo Glass Anemone Vase, circa 1900 Art Nouveau Marks: Gallé Height: 9.5 inches (24.1 cm) Diameter: 4.5 Condition: Vase features red and pink anemones over a white to yellow...

WMF vases Germany, 1900-1910 Silver metal Jugenstil Vases Excellent condition. WMF mark under the base

Lovely pair of antique (early 20th century) polychrome glazed flower vases distinguished by their finely modeled female figures, by Amphora, the firm based in Turn-Teplitz, present-d...

Antique drip glazed ceramic bud vase in rich earth tones. A classic example of Art Nouveau earthenware. Controlled drip has a lovely ombre effect that graduates from mohagany, to pale peach, and into aubergine with a dark finish at the bottom. Attributed to Faiencerie Thulin...

Pair of Early 20th Century Painted Glass Vases Origin: France Style: Art Nouveau Material: Glass Add a touch of elegance to your space with this set of two early XXth century Art N...

Rare and interesting early Emile Galle cameo vase, c14 inches tall, decorated with 1908 chrysanthemum series probably the "sur café au lait" version,...

- Impressive Art Nouveau Emile Galle Cameo landscape vase, in a yellow background and brown inlaid details aquatic vegetation and autumn tonality. Represent a magnificent Fuschia Fl...

Cylindrical glass vase with etched decoration. The vase was designed by Josef Hoffmann, co-founder of the Vienna Secession and the Wiener Werkstatte. The vase was produced by the Boh...

Large 19th century Art Nouveau stoneware cider pitcher with a detailed satyr, faun or devil hanging on a tree branche handle. Unfortunately I know nothin...