Pair of Art Nouveau glasses; France, late 19th century

Pair of Art Nouveau glasses; France, late 19th century.
Patinated and gilded bronze.
Measurements: 23.5 x 20 x 14 cm.

A pair of ovoid-shaped goblets on circular bases, made of patinated bronze with gilded accents. The body of each cup is adorned with grapevine and bramble branches featuring gilded leaves, clusters of grapes, and blackberries in relief, as well as tendrils that twist with great naturalism. A dragonfly with outstretched wings perches on the rim of the neck, adorned with a fine beaded border. The two handles end in bunches of grapes and are attached at the shoulder with small snail-shaped finials. The foot repeats the leaf and fruit decoration and rests on a molded circular base.

The final decades of the nineteenth century were a time of great renewal in the decorative arts in France. Following the long reign of historical styles, a new generation of artists and industrialists, tired of reinterpreting Louis XV and Louis XVI, turned to nature and, above all, to Japan, whose prints, enamels, and bronzes had been arriving in Paris since the country’s opening to the world and caused a sensation at the World’s Fairs of 1867, 1878, and 1889. From this dialogue emerged what came to be known as Japonism and, somewhat later, Art Nouveau, which made plants, insects, and animals its primary ornamental motifs.

These goblets belong to that moment of transition. The dragonflies, brambles, and vines, rendered with almost botanical precision, are motifs much beloved by Japonism, and the contrast between the dark, warm, patinated bronze and the gilded appliqués is inspired by Japanese multi-metal bronzes, which Parisian workshops admired and sought to imitate. Companies such as Christofle, Barbedienne, and Tiffany in New York, along with artists like Lucien Gaillard and Alexandre Charpentier, experimented with these effects, and lesser-known foundries produced them in series.