Emille Galle

A major advocate of the early twentieth century Art Nouveau movement, Emille Galle was the son of a glass-maker, Charles Galle-Reinemer from the Lorraine region in France with who he worked prior to studying at Weimar. His major influence was Joseph Brocard, who like Emille Galle, visited Paris and London museums illustrating Islamic glass in detail. Japanese art also influenced Galle and he sought inspiration from Eugene Rousseau to experiment in new techniques of production.

Galle specialised in hand-crafted, high quality glass ware. With the arrival of new mass-production methods, he later realised he’d have to realise commercial opportunities which resulted in a broadening of his scope.
Through 'Cristallerie d'Emille Galle' (Galle’s company) he manufactured a diverse range of products such as plaques, tableware, compotes, lamps, tazzas, mirrors, decanters, perfume bottles, frames and miniatures, with a majority of pieces marked 'Galle'. A star was included after the death of Galle in 1904 as a request by his wife Henrietta as a mark of respect.

Galle helped pioneer the technique of 'cameo' glass which involved the application of multiple layers of coloured blown and fused glass (often up to 5) which could then either be sand-blasted, hand-cut or etched away using acid to build up a design in relief. The area of Galle’s Lorraine in France and his personal interests inspired his designs, centring on natural images including animals, botany and fruit, literature and Oriental design, which applied well to the early 20th century’s Art Nouveau movement. Enamelling and gold and silver foils were often added to the art glass by hand for further embellishment.

Soon competitor companies were emulating the techniques and styles of the master, such as the Daum Brothers (another manufacturer from France) who became just as prestigious. France led the way in glass production with other leading factories including Baccarat and the St. Louis Glass Works. Thomas Webb represented Britain being highly proficient in the art of cameo glass production manufacturing wares in the 1930’s in the Art Deco style and the Vallerysthal glassworks prevailed in America.

Louis Comfort Tiffany, thought widely as the most famous glass producer, took inspiration from Galle’s works after visiting at the 1889 Paris Exhibition and seeing his exhibits. In 1901 Ecole de Nancy (the School of Nancy) was founded by Galle to promote new types of art media including glass. In the early days Galle was also involved with furniture and ceramics and was to exhibit later in the ground breaking L'Exposition Internationale des Arts Decoratifs et Industriels Modernes. During World War One Galle’s factory closed temporarily but opened again as a family-run concern after Henrietta, Galle’s wife, died.

Galle styled vases are being produced today in Romania so collectors need to be vigilant if concentrating on this aspect of glass. These pieces display ‘TIP’, standing for ‘type’, though grinding can easily remove the mark in order to deceive the novice collector. Familiarising oneself with original Galle patterns and shapes is the only method to avoid such reproductions and pieces that have had damaged areas ground away so destroying the original design integrity.