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DECIPHERING THE MAGAZINE
Although officially described as "hanap", a term
originally designating a mediaeval drinking vessel
usually made of silver, this glass piece is in fact only
very loosely based on its ancestor. Its slender
extremity evokes a spout capable of pouring out a
liquid, but there is something organic about the
undulations of the glass, which seem to melt under
the effect of heat. Liberated from the constraints of
the object and aesthetic dictates, the material takes
on a life of its own.
The secret of the decorative effect of Art
Nouveau glass pieces lay in the use
of multi-layered glass. This also made it
possible to superimpose layers of glass
enamelled in different colours, with
various degrees of transparency, and to
enclose tinted powders between them.
Wheel or acid etching was then
employed to reveal these solid colours
and delineate a decoration. The cloudyeffect,
brown- mottled orangey-yellow
of this vase thus serves as a background
to the patterns created by the green,
black, red and pink shades revealed.
N° 23 I GAZETTE DROUOT INTERNATIONAL
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