Daum vase. Nancy, ca. 1895

DAUM barrel vase. Nancy, ca. 1895.
Acid etched, enameled and gilded glass.
Signed on the base.
Measurements: 21.5 cm x 17 cm.

If there is one thing that distinguishes this rare Daum vase is its silhouette and decoration in the form of a barrel. It represents with great detail the metallic rings of the barrel, as well as the nails that fix them to the wood. Floral motifs and the Star of David embellish the surface.

The Daum manufacture was founded at the end of the 19th century by Augustin Daum (1853-1909), from a small family glassworks in Nancy. He was joined by his brother Antonin (1864-1931), and Daum's workshops soon became a meeting and training place for many young artists, who promoted the Art Nouveau style in Nancy. At first they made ordinary glass, but in 1891 they decided to open a decorative workshop and undertake artistic production, probably as a result of the success of Émile Gallé (1846-1904) at the 1889 Exhibition. Eventually, Daum will have a factory with more than three hundred employees and an artistic production of great variety. During World War I, the factory closed, but resumed production after the war, adapting to the change of aesthetics and leaving behind the modernism of its first period. During the Art Nouveau period, most of Daum's pieces were made of acid-etched cameo glass, but with the new Art Deco style, new techniques and decorative styles were investigated.