An Emile Gallé 'Persian-style' enamelled glass bowl

France, 19th Century

Footnotes

Emile Gallé (1846-1904) was a French glass-maker who took over the family business when his father retired in 1874. His pieces gained widespread recognition and were acquired by prominent collections including the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Russian and Danish royal families (S. Carboni and D. Whitehouse, Glass of the Sultans, New York, 2001, p. 299).

Gallé soon began experimenting with enamels, writing to the jury of the Paris exposition in 1889: 'Since 1878, I have devoted myself continually to to developing a palette that would allow me to decorate glass with the aid of colours and low-temperature vitrifiable enamels...I also developed reflecting colours by mixing them with hard Arabian enamels. Finally, in 1884, I produced for the Union Centrale des Arts Decoratifs a new series of transparent enamels in relief...I therefore present you today with the results of my continued research: opaque enamels with artificial and bizarre colours, muted nuances designed to add 'spice' to an already impressive array of colours. You will note the opaque enamels coloured with gold preparations that produce pinks and lilacs that lend themselves to equally interesting work.' (S. Carboni and D. Whitehouse, Glass of the Sultans, New York, 2001, p. 300).

Gallé must have encountered Mamluk originals. The motif of the mounted archer turning to fire behind him, in addition to mounted figures engaged in other pursuits depicted in similar poses, is consistent with those found on Ayyubid-Mamluk enamelled glass of the thirteenth century. For example, an enamelled glass bottle in The Metropolitan Museum, New York (Object N. 41.150) features mounted warriors on horseback, including archers. A Mamluk enamelled lamp in The Victoria and Albert Museum, London (Accession No. 330-1900) also features a mounted figure in the characteristic turning pose. Furthermore, the polo players on a vase in the Museum für Islamische Kunstare, Berlin, are similarly depicted (Inv. No. I.2573).

A Gallé enamelled bowl of the same form is in the Chrysler Museum of Art, Virginia (Object No. 71.6405). Some examples of Gallé enamelled glass sold at auction include a jardiniere with comparable decoration sold at Christie's New York, 20th Century Decorative Art & Design Including a Selection of Antique & Modern Glass Paperweights, 26 September 2007, lot 289; and a Gallé small bowl sold at Sotheby's, Arts of the Islamic World, including Fine Carpets and Textiles, 24 October 2007, lot 343.