“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.
$40,000Sale Price|20% Off
H 20.08 in Dm 10.24 in
Émile Gallé Antique Cameo Glass Table Lamp, Art Nouveau, France, 1900
By Émile Gallé
Located in CABA, AR
Rare Antique French Galle Signed Cut-Cameo Lamp with Original Signed Galle Cut-Cameo Shade, in Red and Yellow Sunset Colors. The lamp features a masterful design with a vibrant palet...
Bronze
Émile Gallé Clematis Table Lamp, Cameo Glass, Art Nouveau, 1900
By Émile Gallé
Located in CABA, AR
Exquisite Émile Gallé “Clematis” Table Lamp, ca. 1900 An extraordinary example of French Art Nouveau glass artistry, this Clematis table lamp by Émile ...
Glass
$13,547Sale Price|27% Off
H 21.66 in Dm 11.03 in
Müller Frères, Lunéville, "Anémones" Art Nouveau Glass Lamp circa 1910
By Muller Fres Luneville
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Muller Frères, Lunéville, “Anémones” Lamp Mushroom lamp in multi-layered glass with acid-etched and wheel-carved decoration of red and mauve magnolias in ...
Wrought Iron
$32,236
H 21.66 in Dm 10.99 in
French Art Nouveau Table Lamp by Emile Galle ''Vosges Paysage'' Cameo Glass 1900
By Émile Gallé
Located in Ijzendijke, NL
Breathtaking French Art Nouveau table lamp by Emile Gallé early 1900 model: ''Vosges Paysage'' simply exquisite. Multilayer glass lamp with engraved decoration in brilliant reserve of a blue and green Vosges landscape, on the foot, and on the hat of eagles in flight, on an opaque yellow background. Gilded bronze mount with three claws and two lights. Signed "Gallé" in reserve, on both elements. Looks amazing when lit, museum worthy Art Nouveau piece and a must have for any collector This original Emile Galle lamp...
Bronze
Art Nouveau glass table lamp by Émile Gallé
By Émile Gallé
Located in London, GB
Art Nouveau glass table lamp by Émile Gallé French, c. 1900 Height 58cm, diameter 22cm This striking Art Nouveau lamp is by one of the style’s le...
Glass
Émile Gallé "La Mer" Table Lamp
By Émile Gallé
Located in New York, NY
This exquisite La mer lamp by Émile Gallé features twin shades modeled on the blooms of the crown imperial (Fritillaria imperialis), a golden lily long associated with sovereignty, h...
Wrought Iron
Emile Gallé, Art Nouveau, Glass, Table Lamp, France, 1920s
By Émile Gallé
Located in Stamford, CT
Emile Gallé, French Art Nouveau, Decorated Glass, Brass, Table Lamp, France, 1920s A French Art Nouveau table lamp designed by Emile Gallé (1846-1904) in early 20th century France. ...
Brass
$52,000Sale Price|20% Off
H 25 in Dm 13 in
French Art Nouveau Lamp by Emile Galle Cameo Cut Glass in Red Sunset Colors
By Émile Gallé
Located in New York, NY
A Magnificent and Rare Antique French Galle Signed Cut-Cameo Lamp with Original Signed Galle Cut-Cameo Shade, in Red and Yellow Sunset Colors. This floral motif Galle lamp is made in the art nouveau style with two-toned deep red flowers on a base and shade. The sharp edges of the floral design, which is all hand-carved, complement the smooth round mushroom-shaped shade and base. The rounded shape and delicate hand-carved glass of multiple colors and hues is a signature of Galle lamps. They typically form a cap-like shade over the thin tourine base. Another important feature of the lamp is the rounded finish on the rim, the glass is smooth at the rim—a sign that the lamp is authentic. This lamp exudes the soft romanticism of Art Nouveau. Gallé was a prominent glassblower and one of the most influential figures in the French Art Nouveau movement. Specializing in floral glassware...
Crystal, Bronze
$7,068
H 22.05 in Dm 10.24 in
Georges Leleu / L.R. Apollon, Antique Oil Lamp, French Art Nouveau 19th Century
By Georges Leleu
Located in PARIS, FR
Superb and rare Georges Leleu oil lamp with decorations of chestnuts and chestnut tree leaves in gilt bronze. Multicoloured cabochon in the removable hood. The dented setting of the ...
Bronze
Superb Art Noveau Lamp by The Charles Parker Company
By Charles Parker
Located in Swadlincote, GB
A wonderful slag glass Art Noveau table lamp by American company 'Charles Parker Company', double bulb, ready to use condition having been pat tested. 24" high 20" diametr 7.5" dia...
Slag Glass
Gallé Cameo Glass Lamp
By Émile Gallé
Located in New Orleans, LA
Cameo Glass Lamp Émile Gallé Circa 1900 This stunning cameo glass lamp displays the unparalleled artistry of the famed Art Nouveau master Émile Gallé, one of the most highly regarde...
Glass
Table Lamp by Edgar Brandt and Daum Nancy
By Daum, Edgar Brandt
Located in New Orleans, LA
Wrought Iron and Glass Table Lamp Edgar Brandt and Daum Nancy Circa 1925 A striking collaboration between two masters of French Art Deco, this wrought iron and glass table lamp by E...
Wrought Iron
Art Deco Table Lamp by Pierre D'Avesn
By Pierre D'Avesn
Located in New Orleans, LA
Glass Table Lamp Pierre d'Avesn Circa 1930 This rare and captivating Art Deco table lamp by Pierre d'Avesn epitomizes the refined elegance of the era. Fashioned in frosted and molde...
Glass
Tiffany Studios Fleur-de-Lis Lamp
By Tiffany Studios
Located in New Orleans, LA
Fleur-de-Lis Lamp Tiffany Studios Circa 1900 This beautiful Tiffany Studios table lamp features the firm's iconic leaded glass shade in the rare Fleur-de-Lis pattern. The geometric ...
Bronze
Tiffany Studios Pomegranate Lamp
Located in New Orleans, LA
Pomegranate Table Lamp Tiffany Studios Circa 1900 This beautiful lamp by Tiffany Studios features an iconic leaded Favrile glass lampshade atop its patinated bronze base. Displaying...
Bronze
Cameo Glass Vase by Émile Gallé
By Émile Gallé
Located in New Orleans, LA
Exceptional in both size and artistry, this cameo art glass vase is the work of the famed Art Nouveau master Émile Gallé, one of the most highly regarded names in French glassmaking....
Glass
Perhaps best known as a Revolutionary War hero, Revere was also an accomplished silversmith, and this pot is now available on 1stDibs.
Discovered in Parisian cabarets, the performers reenergized the artist’s practice.
