Les feuilles des douleurs passées
Les feuilles des douleurs passées
Foto: Kunstpalast, Düsseldorf

Les feuilles des douleurs passées, 1900

Vase "The Petals of Old Pain"
DesignÉmile Gallé, Nancy 1846–1904 Nancy
ExecutionCristallerie Gallé à Nancy, 1846–1936
Grey-brown opaque glass, part-blue overlay, embedded metal foil, clear overlay, mould-blown, patinage (applied dust), mat-etched, copper-wheel engraved
(H x Ø)14,3 × 12,8 cm
Status
not on display
About the workWith its urn-like shape and falling autumn leaves, the vase exudes a melancholic mood. This is reinforced by the inscription, which is taken from a poem written by the Belgian poet Maurice Maeterlinck in 1889. Émile Gallé was able to give artistic expression to his passion for botany in glass and to imbue his vases with a deeper meaning through the addition of quotations from contemporary poetry. He called these works from his glass factory in Nancy “verres parlants”, speaking glasses. His artistic ambition went beyond the decorative effect.
AccessionGift of Helmut Hentrich 1970
Inventory numberP 1970-213
de