Mode of access: internet.

Listen as curator Tina Oldknow describes Dragonfly Coupe, created by French glass artist Emile Gallé. The love of nature, characteristic of the art nouveau style, is reflected in this remarkable coupe. A poet, designer, and a businessman, Gallé was well-versed in art, literature, botany, and chemistry. The greatest influence on his glass was nature, with its varied colors and textures. The words, "Our roots are in the depths of the woods, on the edge of the springs, among the mosses" were carved into his studio doors. Gallé transformed glass vessels from the functional to the sculptural, and from the decorative to the poetic. He was born and raised in the town of Nancy, in eastern France. He apprenticed at the decorative glass and ceramics factory owned by his father, Charles Gallé. He eventually took over his father's business, and with his creative vision and financial acumen, he expanded it into a flourishing art industry at the turn of the 20th century.