Firescreen

Wild poppy flowers and foliage emerge from a jigsaw puzzle of light and dark woods on this firescreen’s central panel, framed by twisting vines. The carved legs and upright posts resemble plant stalks, and seed pods serve as ornamental finials. As a young man, designer Émile Gallé studied botany alongside art. In 1875, he assumed leadership of his family’s glass and ceramic workshops in Nancy in eastern France. When Gallé began to design furniture about 1890 he turned to plant forms, using stems as structural elements and flowers and leaves for ornament. His motto - “my roots are in the heart of the woods” - explains his devotion to organic forms and natural motifs. Gallé exhibited his nature-inspired furniture and glass at international expositions, including the 1900 Paris World’s Fair, where an American visitor purchased this firescreen.