Gabriel Argy-Rousseau

GABRIEL ARGY-ROUSSEAU (France, 1885–1953).
Vase, ca. 1930.
Yellow crystal paste.
Signed on the base, integrated into the decoration.
Work cataloged in “Pâtes de Verre,” Gabriel Argy-Rousseau, Janine Bloch-Dermant, no. 27.27
Measurements: 27 x 20 x 15 cm.

The vase up for auction is a characteristic example of the work of Gabriel Argy-Rousseau, one of the great French masters of pâte de verre. The vase combines the rich texture and color typical of this complex technique—with attractive gradations of honey, amber, and yellow tones—with a distinctly Art Deco geometric design. Particularly distinctive are its side handles, conceived as sculptural elements and articulated through stepped motifs in relief. The translucency of the glass and the chromatic variations produced during firing lend the surface a unique depth and luminosity, qualities that made Argy-Rousseau’s creations some of the most recognizable examples of French artistic glasswork in the 1920s and 1930s.

Argy-Rousseau began drawing at a very early age, and he also developed an interest in physics and chemistry while still very young, which led him to study first at the École Brequet and, later, at the École de Sèvres (1902). He graduated in 1906 with a degree in ceramic engineering and began working at a technical research laboratory. At the École de Sèvres, he had met Henri Cros, a pioneer in the use of “pâte-de-verre,” and soon his interests would focus on this technique. From then on, he devoted himself to the production of art glass, and in 1914 he participated for the first time in the Salon des Artistes Français in Paris. He soon achieved notable success, which led him to found his own artistic glass firm in 1921: Société Anonyme des Pâtes de Verre d’Argy-Rousseau. From then on, he produced pieces primarily on commission and patented various new techniques. His works were sold throughout Europe, as well as in the United States, North Africa, and Latin America. However, the economic crisis that began in 1929–30 forced him to close the factory and establish himself as an independent artist in Paris in 1932. Around this time, he stopped using glass paste to focus on producing enameled glass, which was more in line with the new tastes.