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 bearing the unmistakable stamp of a personal selection.
Among the earliest pieces are works by François Eugène Rousseau, Ernest Baptiste Léveillé 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, Eugène Michel.
The focus of the collection is placed on two comprehensive groups, each consisting of more than forty pieces, by Emile Gallé and by the Daum Frères 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 Désiré Christian, as well as works by Muller Frères 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.
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