2018Joint Issue - France - Croatia (Philatelic Document) - Collectibles

At the dawn of the twentieth century, Art Nouveau imposed an ornamental grammar largely drawn from the plant world, without reference to earlier styles. The vase designed by the Frenchman Emile Gallé (Nancy, 1846-1904) evokes the art of Japanese prints. The vase of the Croatian Antonija Krasnik (Lovinac, 1874-Zagreb, 1956) affirms a radical stylization, heralding Art Deco. Trained at the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb, Krasnik was in Vienna the pupil of Koloman Moser, one of the founders of the Secession. Painter and sculptor, she was in Croatia the first female artist in the field of decorative arts. Son of a merchant in crystals and porcelain, Émile Gallé apprenticed in Weimar and at the Meisenthal factory. Glassmaker but also ceramist, cabinetmaker and industrialist, he founded the School of Nancy, School of Applied Arts for Industry, which played a major role in the dissemination of Art Nouveau. The works of these two creators figured in the most prestigious international exhibitions of their time.

Vase circa 1884 Gallé Emile (1846-1904) Location: Paris, musée d'Orsay Photo © RMN-Grand Palais (Orsay Museum) / René-Gabriel Ojéda.