Émile Gallé "Penguin" Cameo Glass Vase
Regular price
$45,000
This exquisite Émile Gallé “Penguins” vase features four Adélie penguins gathered on an icy outcrop, with towering ice mountains in the background. The Adélie penguin, a small, hardy species with distinctive tuxedo-like black and white plumage, is known for its playful behavior and large colonies along the Antarctic coasts. On the opposite side of the vase, three penguins stand on snow-covered ground, with tall, icy peaks rising in the distance. These charming creatures, iconic symbols of the Antarctic, are beautifully captured in this artwork.
Item #: YG-21689
Artist: Émile Gallé
Country: France
Circa: 1900
Dimensions: 8.25" height
Materials: Cameo Glass
Signed: Gallé
Item #: YG-21689
Artist: Émile Gallé
Country: France
Circa: 1900
Dimensions: 8.25" height
Materials: Cameo Glass
Signed: Gallé
The early 20th century saw an increased interest in Antarctic exploration, highlighted by the famous expeditions of Jean-Baptiste Charcot, a pioneering French explorer whose 1908–1910 voyage aboard the Pourquoi Pas? charted much of the Antarctic coastline and provided valuable insights into the continent's geography and wildlife. These expeditions captivated the public’s imagination, making penguins synonymous with the mysterious and remote polar regions. In the year of this vase's creation, an extensive account of the 1926 expedition of the Pourquoi Pas? appeared in several November and December issues of a local newspaper, Le Telegramme des Vosges, under the signature of René d’Avril, a prominent regional writer: “De Cherbourg au Groënland, Les impressions d’un savant nancéien qui fit partie de l’expédition Charcot”22 were the chronicled souvenirs of Paul Rémy, a zoologist from the university of Nancy. Paul Rémy had been one of four scientists from Nancy among Charcot’s collaborators in his Arctic endeavours, along with Pierre Bailly, a geologist, and Raymond Chevallier, a physicist. This explains in part the special interest the public from Nancy took in Charcot’s explorations in the second half of the 1920s. Gallé’s vase not only captures the allure of these penguins but also reflects the period's artistic fascination with nature and exploration.
The early 20th century saw an increased interest in Antarctic exploration, highlighted by the famous expeditions of Jean-Baptiste Charcot, a pioneering French explorer whose 1908–1910 voyage aboard the Pourquoi Pas? charted much of the Antarctic coastline and provided valuable insights into the continent's geography and wildlife. These expeditions captivated the public’s imagination, making penguins synonymous with the mysterious and remote polar regions. In the year of this vase's creation, an extensive account of the 1926 expedition of the Pourquoi Pas? appeared in several November and December issues of a local newspaper, Le Telegramme des Vosges, under the signature of René d’Avril, a prominent regional writer: “De Cherbourg au Groënland, Les impressions d’un savant nancéien qui fit partie de l’expédition Charcot”22 were the chronicled souvenirs of Paul Rémy, a zoologist from the university of Nancy. Paul Rémy had been one of four scientists from Nancy among Charcot’s collaborators in his Arctic endeavours, along with Pierre Bailly, a geologist, and Raymond Chevallier, a physicist. This explains in part the special interest the public from Nancy took in Charcot’s explorations in the second half of the 1920s. Gallé’s vase not only captures the allure of these penguins but also reflects the period's artistic fascination with nature and exploration.
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