Primary Description:
Opaque brown over colorless glasses; blown, cased, acid-etched, cut, and engraved. Vase with flattened bulbous body, straight slightly flared neck, and straight foot; neck has stylized cameo carved cloud form within which head and wings of a pelican have been intaglio carved into colorless layer creating a milky white image with sepia shading, background of relief has martelé treatment and scattered incised concentric "C" shapes suggesting clouds, the forms of scattered, elongated diagonal bubbles are repeated by engraved marks giving the effect of driving rain, horizontal engraved streaks of varying lengths and widths are also scattered throughout background; remaining non-relief area of neck background has continuous lateral band of irregularly scalloped polishing suggesting sky seen through clouds; body has cameo carved pterodactyl with wings curving around entire circumference and meeting at a point, on shoulder surface flanking the creature's open bill are engraved in two lines "Si ton Coeur, gemissant du poids de notre vie/Se traine et se debat comme un Aigle (stylized "A" forms spiral) blesse.../ A. de Vigny", background extending to thick foot is martelé treated with broad streaks of polishing. Finely inscribed on base "Emile Gallé; fect"; Nancy with elongated "N"; in relief is Cross of Lorraine flanked by initials "E G" with broadly inscribed shield adjoined by inscribed floral motif.