Junk pile Émile Gallé vase
It was spotted in a junk pile during a house clearance in a Cotswold home, now a vase by Émile Gallé is set to be sold in a Gloucestershire auction room with an estimate of £500 to £800.
During the house clearance, eagle-eyed valuer from Moore Allen & Innocent, Piers Critchlow, was drawn to the piece’s fine enamelled decoration of crickets with its gilded and enamelled handles. A signature to the bottom of the vase confirmed it was made by the French glassmaker.
Pier said, “The vendor was clearing some furniture, which she thought might have some value. The vase was precariously balanced, unwrapped, on top of a pile of other household objects. The vendor didn’t know what she had.”
The vase is due to be sold in the auction house’s selected antiques sale on July 20.
About Émile Gallé
Émile Gallé was born in 1846, and learned glassmaking at Meisenthal, home to the Centre International d’Art Verrier – the international centre for studio glass – and famous for its glass Christmas decorations.
His early work was executed from his studio in Nancy using clear glass decorated with enamel. His style, with its emphasis on naturalism and floral motifs, was at the forefront of the emerging Art Nouveau movement.
He died in 1904, aged 58.