Large vase with wisteria c.1900

French glass artist Emile Gallé was a leading exponent of Art Nouveau, a movement typified by sinuous organic lines, and was instrumental in popularising the style from the late 1880s. Gallé studied botany, philosophy and drawing in Meisenthal, France, before travelling to England — where he encountered Japanese art that was newly accessible after trade relations with Europe and America resumed in 1868 — and later to Italy.

By 1890, Gallé’s factory had become synonymous with glass made with evermore complex techniques that included wheel cutting, acid etching and casing, whereby two or more colours are layered to create different tones in varying light. The dark amethyst and amber tones of this vase are typical of the effect, which has been enhanced by an acid-etched design based on the meandering tendrils of a wisteria vine, exhibiting a Japanese influence.