Art Nouveau Enameled and Etched Glass Vase by Daum

Artist: Daum.

Signed: “Daum Nancy” with the Croix de Lorraine.

A French Art Nouveau enameled and etched "Fleurs et Abeilles" glass vase by Daum. This vase is features a shape which Daum used because it lends itself to undulating and soft nature scenes. This bright vase is dominated by two planes of mottled glass, golden yellow on top of deep purple, which together create a landscape scene. The vase is decorated with etched and enameled flowers. The flora seem to grow from the base of the vase because of the landscape effect achieved in the ground behind the scene. At the base, the leaves and stems of the flowers appear as shadows, as they are only etched into the dark ground. Once the flora break through into the golden section of the vase, the etched scene is enhanced by bright, verdant green enamel, which gives way to vibrant red orchids. The scene is completed by a curious bee floating up to the blossom, ready to pollinate it. The presence of the bee implies that this springtime scene is not entirely completed in the vase, but that it is rather just a part of a fleeting moment rendered in glass. Circa 1901. A vase with similar decoration is pictured in: Daum: Maitres Verriers, 1890-1980, by Noël Daum, Lausanne: Edita Denoël, 1980, p. 122.