François-Théodore Legras (1839-1916) "Vase Série Rubis-Vigne Virge", c. 1900

A mould-blown glass vase, Échassier model (form no. 16099 in the Verreries de Saint-Denis / Legras & Cie catalogue), belonging to the Rubis decorative series in its Vigne Vierge (wild vine) variant. It features a bulbous spherical base from which a stylised cylindrical neck rises. The surface, in mottled frosted glass, is decorated in relief using acid-etching and enamelling with motifs of leaves, tendrils and clusters of wild grapevine in an intense ruby red colour. Signed ‘Legras’ on the body near the base.

Size: 65.5 x 17 x 23 cm

References:

· Model: (form no. 16099, ‘Vase Échassier’): Commercial catalogue of Verreries & Cristalleries de Saint-Denis / Legras & Cie (plate: Verrerie granitée, décor Violettes émail & or).

Catalogue note:

This vase is an example of François-Théodore Legras’s work for the Verrerie de Saint-Denis in the early 20th century. Legras, alongside figures such as Émile Gallé, played a pivotal role in the development of French Art Nouveau glass.

The combination of the marbled background with the acid-etched and ruby-red enamelled decoration is the quintessence of the ‘Rubis’ series, highly prized by collectors for its intense chromatic contrast and technical quality.