A 'Grenouilles et Papillons' Vase, Circa 1895

In his earliest works, Émile Gallé used enamels on the blank canvas of clear, colorless glass. Here, in this twin-handled vase, while the dominant technique is that of enameling, he brings together a wider range of techniques, developing the finely-detailed enameled decoration of butterflies hovering above meadow on an opaque colored body, with darker lower portion, further enhanced with intaglio etched and patinated motifs. As we discover in the impressive extended inventory of his techniques, Gallé’s mastery of his medium was profound, giving him the widest range of practical possibilities in pursuit of his high artistic aims.