Legras Art Nouveau gilded enamelled glass ball vase with thistles, late 19th century
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Small ball-shaped vase with a corolla neck by Legras*, in purple-colored enameled glass, with gilded thistle decoration, from the Art Nouveau period, late 19th-early 20th centuries.
This vase is in very good condition. Unsigned but referenced model from Legras.
Please note: tiny micro-scratches and wear and tear, see photos.
is a French master glassmaker. At the age of 20, he began working as a clerk in glassworks near his native hamlet. It was there that he learned his trade. At 24, he left his native Vosges to work at the Plaine Saint-Denis glassworks, a district of the town of Saint Denis near Paris, where he was hired as a night clerk. Six months later, he became head of production, and in 1866, at the age of 27, he became director of the glassworks. He then had a new, modern factory and a workers' city built, which over the years became an industrial complex of nearly 20,000 square meters. He became chairman and CEO of Legras et Cie, then of the Verrerie et Cristallerie de Saint-Denis. He participated in numerous national and international exhibitions, where he was often awarded prizes. He was also responsible for the glassworks and crystalworks section of the 1900 Universal Exhibition in Paris. In 1909, he handed over management of his company to his nephew, Charles Legras. He was one of the four master glassmakers at the founding of Art Nouveau, along with Gallé, Daum, and Lalique. His work is very diverse, with considerable models of varied shapes and designs. The most commonly used classification method is based on decorative themes such as landscapes, flowers, and wildlife.