EMILE GALLÉ, CIRCA 1915

Like a poet who expresses himself with words, Gallé expressed his belief in life through the medium of glass. On 15 July 1870, war was declared between France and Prussia. The twenty four year old, Emile Gallé served in the 23rd Line Regiment, and the effects of the war were long lasting. Outraged by the aftermath of the Prussian war, Gallé was compelled to convey his patriotism for the country he loved by incorporating the symbolic Cross of Lorraine in his art glass. The detail was used for a relatively short period of time, but Gallé's nationalistic spirit was realized in several fascinating vessels. The present vase, commemorates the historic victory of World War I, with its powerful depiction of the trumphant (French) cockerel crowing at the fallen (German) eagle.