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Lot Essay
Christie’s would like to thank Mr. Benoît Crantz from the Daum company for his assistance with the cataloguing of this work.
While many of the objects designed by Daum were intended for large-scale production, the present lot is an extremely rare non-utilitarian example of a budding, naturalistic flower. Upon creation circa 1900, the work was executed in hot-worked glass, sculpted with plier and chisel, colored with vitrified pigment, and wheel-engraved. This graceful design and the extraordinary quality of execution are a testimony of Daum’s genius. This ‘Bouton d’Iris’ is represented on a watercolor by Henri Bergé and related to other important flowers, such as the Églantine from the collection du Musée de l’École de Nancy. These pieces do not appear in the Daum archives and may have been presented on Daum’s booths at major international fairs. The present lot presents a unique opportunity to acquire a masterwork by Daum.
Jean Daum, a laywer, founded his eponymous company when he bought a failing glass factory in Nancy and employed his son Auguste. Initially, they produced tableware in clear or translucent glass. However, a new era dawned in 1887 when Auguste’s brother, Antonin, joined the business and formed a creative department to produce floral designs in colored and cameo glass. During the 1890s, a significant collaboration began with Louis Majorelle, a family friend. In 1899, they began creating lighting (lot 107). Henri Bergé, the painter, was hired in 1894 and infused a new artistic life to Daum: the range of items and designs being produced significantly increased. His naturalistic style was inspired by Art Nouveau, nature and botanical drawings and landscapes.
Daum initially gained international recognition in 1893 at the Chicago World’s Columbian Exposition, and subsequently at the Exposition d’Art Décoratif et Industriel Lorrain, Nancy. However, the real breakthrough for the factory came in 1897 at the Exposition Internationale in Brussels. By 1900 at the Exposition Universelle, in Paris, their reputation was fully established and the first Grand Prix for glassware was awarded to both Daum Frères and Emile Gallé, and in 1901 they formed the École de Nancy, along others like Jacques Gruber and Louis Majorelle. Their objective was to form an artistic community to nurture the arts and industry in the region. Nature remained the major source of inspiration, with a preference for regional flora and fauna, studied in a scientific manner. Their understanding was that nature represented a source of truth, besides embodying identity, both regional and national. For the École de Nancy, applied arts held the key to revitalizing the nation, as they played a wider economic role than the fine arts.
While many of the objects designed by Daum were intended for large-scale production, the present lot is an extremely rare non-utilitarian example of a budding, naturalistic flower. Upon creation circa 1900, the work was executed in hot-worked glass, sculpted with plier and chisel, colored with vitrified pigment, and wheel-engraved. This graceful design and the extraordinary quality of execution are a testimony of Daum’s genius. This ‘Bouton d’Iris’ is represented on a watercolor by Henri Bergé and related to other important flowers, such as the Églantine from the collection du Musée de l’École de Nancy. These pieces do not appear in the Daum archives and may have been presented on Daum’s booths at major international fairs. The present lot presents a unique opportunity to acquire a masterwork by Daum.
Jean Daum, a laywer, founded his eponymous company when he bought a failing glass factory in Nancy and employed his son Auguste. Initially, they produced tableware in clear or translucent glass. However, a new era dawned in 1887 when Auguste’s brother, Antonin, joined the business and formed a creative department to produce floral designs in colored and cameo glass. During the 1890s, a significant collaboration began with Louis Majorelle, a family friend. In 1899, they began creating lighting (lot 107). Henri Bergé, the painter, was hired in 1894 and infused a new artistic life to Daum: the range of items and designs being produced significantly increased. His naturalistic style was inspired by Art Nouveau, nature and botanical drawings and landscapes.
Daum initially gained international recognition in 1893 at the Chicago World’s Columbian Exposition, and subsequently at the Exposition d’Art Décoratif et Industriel Lorrain, Nancy. However, the real breakthrough for the factory came in 1897 at the Exposition Internationale in Brussels. By 1900 at the Exposition Universelle, in Paris, their reputation was fully established and the first Grand Prix for glassware was awarded to both Daum Frères and Emile Gallé, and in 1901 they formed the École de Nancy, along others like Jacques Gruber and Louis Majorelle. Their objective was to form an artistic community to nurture the arts and industry in the region. Nature remained the major source of inspiration, with a preference for regional flora and fauna, studied in a scientific manner. Their understanding was that nature represented a source of truth, besides embodying identity, both regional and national. For the École de Nancy, applied arts held the key to revitalizing the nation, as they played a wider economic role than the fine arts.