Helmut Ricke

Eva Schmitt

Over a period of more than thirty years Gerda Koepff devoted herself passionately to collecting Art Nouveau glass, which reached a previously unattained quality towards the end of the nineteenth century in France. The exceptional collection she amassed during those years, comprising 126 pieces of considerable international importance, provides an overview of the very best in Art Nouveau glass while hearing the unmistakable stamp of a personal selection. Among the earliest pieces are works by Francois Eugene Rousseau, Ernest Bapuste Leveille and Auguste Jean, who, with vessels exuding a distinctly Japanese air, paved the way for Art Nouveau's sweeping success in Paris. These were followed by exquisite works created by another artist working in Paris Eugene Michel. The focus of the collection is placed on two comprehensive groups, each consisting of more than forty pieces, by Emile Galle and by the Daum Freres glassworks in Nancy. Virtually all are studio pieces of the highest quality; produced in limited editions, each piece was designed individually. Vases made by Burgun, Schverer & Co. and by the company's sometime studio manager Desire Christian, as well as works by Muller Freres and Paul Nicolas, provide a representative overview of an era that has gone down in the history of glass design as one of its supreme highlights. Art Nouveau Glass includes in-depth commentaries on individual pieces, supplemented by a number of illuminating essays and contributions published in English for the first time. In addition, intensive archive research has brought new material to light, particularly on Daum Freres. A comprehensive, scholarly appendix includes artists' biographies, details on the various glass manufacturers and, of particular note, thirty-five drawings from Galle's studio. Book jacket.

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