Vase

The small-sized ovoid glass vase was made of frosted coloured glass with a greenish-yellow tint at the bottom and neck of the vessel. On the object's surface is a plastic pattern of ferns in shades of green growing out of a dark brown-green band, thus constituting an example of Art Nouveau design. Therefore, it is not surprising that on an object from an era that loved floral motifs, fern leaves in various stages of development appear as the main ornamental theme.

The vase was made in eastern France, in the city of Nancy on the Meurthe River where Émile Gallé founded a glassworks in 1874. The designer quickly developed his own original grinding or acid-etching coloured glass style and the resulting decorations based on floral and animal motifs quickly won acclaim both at home and abroad.

Émile Gallé's interest in nature, in which, according to the designer, extraordinary powers lay dormant, contributed to the ornament's design with the motif of the hand of St John, as the fern leaves were known in France. For centuries, the magical significance of this plant was connected with its longevity and the unchanging green colour of its leaves. Ferns, growing in shady, damp places and far away from human settlements, were also perceived as having magical properties. Thus the tradition of searching for the plant's flower, known in various cultures, was of great importance. The lucky person who managed to find a fern in bloom (which was supposed to bloom once a year, during the summer solstice) could enjoy health and wealth.