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18 - * Émile GALLÉ (1846-1904). Extremely rare tin-glazed earthen…
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Estimate €200 - €1,000
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Description
* Émile GALLÉ (1846-1904). Extremely rare tin-glazed earthenware casserole in the imitation of origami with stylised black enamelled painted decoration of imps, Saint-Georges and the Saint-Georges gate in Nancy and bearing a manifesto in the form of a rebus "On ne démolira pas la [porte Saint-Georges]" (We will not demolish the [Saint-Georges gate]). Enamelled stamp painted in red on the reverse E. G. déposé et E. Gallé Nancy. Circa 1879. D. 8 × 9 cm. (Small chips) The Porte Saint-Georges in Nancy was almost demolished in the 1870s to make way for the tramway line. Émile GALLÉ set up a Comité de sauvegarde du patrimoine (heritage preservation committee) to prevent this demolition. This committee sought the patronage of Victor Hugo, a great defender of ancient monuments and with close family ties to Nancy. Thanks to the committee, which received Victor Hugo's support, the gate was saved in 1878 and classified as a Historic Monument in 1879. This is an important militant and humorous manifesto, treated in the Japanese style that GALLÉ loved so much, in the form of origami. This work is certainly the counterpart to the cocotte in the Musée de l'École de Nancy. In the museum's copy, the imps are protesting against the preservation of the Porte Saint-Georges in Nancy and calling for it to be destroyed; our copy uses the same graphic vocabulary to show the failure of these grotesque, dispirited little monsters, who are pulling their hair out, chased away by the knight. A veritable porcelain origami, this cocotte-manifesto transposes the art of folding into a permanent material, using it to make a plea for the preservation of the Porte Saint-Georges in Nancy.
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About the sale Sale of the Collection of Mr L. & à Divers: Émile GALLÉ earthenware, Majorelle, Saint-Clément, Glassware, Bronzes
Auction location
Auction time 06/10/2026 at 2:00 PM
Lot description modified on 06/02/2026 at 12:18 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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