Station: [30] J – Art Nouveau Vase

Sprecher

At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries we come across Jugendstil, or Art Nouveau. Glass made in this style rejected the imitation of historical styles and became the artistic antithesis of glass manufacturers. One of the most important protagonists of European art nouveau-style glass art was a craftsman, botanist, chemist and factory owner who lived in Nancy in France: Emile Gallé. And he made the yellow vase with red-brown plant decoration entitled „Bleeding Heart.“

Sprecherin

Gallé found his motifs in nature and he stuck his neck out for them because he could see they were endangered by industrialisation. But the Orient and literature were all so important sources of inspiration for him and Gallé was more than happy to try out new things in glass production and finishing - even though he never worked at the glass furnace himself! To begin with his designs were applied to the glass using enamel or cut glass, but he later turned to etching, melting and appliqué. Gallé produced the glass in front of you in around 1900 using the etching technique.

Sprecher

This vase was a gift from the sponsor and collector of Art Nouveau glass, Henri Veill from Clermont-Ferrand in France, whose sister lives here in Wertheim. And the donation of it turned out to be a stroke of luck, because shortly afterwards Veill’s collection was completely destroyed in a house fire.