Ref. 1919

 « Art Nouveau » Shelf

France
20th Century

Walnut

Height : 152 cm (59,8 in.) ; Width : 61 cm (24 in.) ; Depth : 40 cm (15,7 in.)

Beautiful naturalist Art Nouveau style shelf in carved walnut with poppy flower motifs, with inlaid decoration on three sides of flowers and vegetation in landscapes. It opens in the upper part to a door and a central upright supports two offset shelves.

related work

This shelf is inspired by the creations of Emile Gallé, famous cabinet-maker of the Art Nouveau period, and particularly by his “Umbelliferae shelf”, exposed in the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Reims, inv. 941.3.523.

Biography

Emile Gallé (Nancy, 1846-1904), as a ceramist, carpenter and glassmaker, is one of the founding artists of Art Nouveau. His father, Charles Gallé (1818-1902), already a major artist, had successfully launched the family business in the production of pottery. After school in Nancy, Emile Gallé went to Weimar in 1865 and studied there mineralogy. He then went to Meisenthal for learning glass and ceramics crafts. He added to this a good knowledge of woodworking and of natural sciences, the family passion, especially for plants that led him to drawing. In 1877, working hard, he took over his father’s activities and developped the firm. Participating in the 1878 Universal Exhibition, he was awarded four gold medals. His fame spread to the world then. At the 1889 Universal Exhibition, Emile Gallé was awarded the Grand Prize and was made an Officer of the Legion of Honor. About this time, about three hundred artists and artisans were working for him. He forbade his employees to carve a signle flower without having seen himself the work before. The Universal Exhibition of 1900 was undoubtedly the crowning achievement of his career with two major awards and gold medals and was appointed Commander of the Legion of Honor. Emile Gallé was also a convinced humanist, a founder of the University of Nancy and became treasurer of the French League for Human Rights.