Frosted crystal baluster vase, Daum color, Nancy, France, Art Deco, early 20th century
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Baluster-shaped vase in colored frosted crystal (smoky style) signed Daum* Nancy France, from the Art Deco period around the 1920s, early 20th century.
This vase is in good condition, superb quality. Signed at the bottom, see photos.
Please note: there are very minor scratches, slight soiling and signs of wear consistent with age, see photos.
Following the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, Jean Daum (1825-1885), a notary in Bitche, sold his practice and opted for French citizenship. He settled in Nancy in 1876 and purchased a glassworks in 1878. In 1878, he brought his son Auguste into the business. Upon Auguste's death in 1885, he took sole control of the glassworks before being joined in 1887 by his brother Antonin. The glassworks' production shifted towards artistic creation. Between 1889 and 1891, the two brothers prepared the creation of an artistic department, which was entrusted to Antonin. Auguste provided him with all the necessary resources to follow in the footsteps of Émile Gallé in Art Nouveau glassmaking. The 1900 Universal Exposition brought international recognition with the awarding of a Grand Prize. In 1901, Daum founded the École de Nancy with artists Majorelle and Émile Gallé, a leading force in Art Nouveau. The company continued to participate in major exhibitions: Barcelona in 1923, the International Exhibition of Decorative Arts in Paris in 1925, and the Colonial Exhibition in Paris in 1931. In the 1920s, Paul shifted production towards Art Deco in response to declining public interest in Art Nouveau. The crystalworks still exists today, and its production is internationally renowned for the quality of its creations.