Urne funéraire d’Ariel, 1890
Vase, "Ariel’s Funerary Urn"
Clear, slightly opalescent glass, enclosed grey-black shards, interfused with bubbles, mould-blown, engraved
(H x Ø)9,6 × 8,6 cm
About the workThe glass artist Émile Gallé dedicated this vase to his friend, the writer Robert de Montesquiou-Fezensac. The inscription reads: “Dedication. Prince, shrouded in mist, poet, you who know the art of giving flight to every wing, the cotton-soft ones of moths … For you I have bottled the bat and mixed vampire with barbastella [bat species] with a little mist on top … For RFM.” Ariel, a spirit of the air mentioned in the title, is likely another literary allusion. The bronze base and lid have not been preserved and the neck has been shortened.
AccessionGift of Helmut Hentrich, 1977
Inventory numberP 1977-19