Béni soit / le coin sombre / où s'isolent / nos cœurs.
Emile Gallé
This green long-necked glass vase is a late work of Gallé, created between 1900 - 1904. Engraved on the body of the vase are the verses of the French poet Marceline Desbordes-Valmore, whose life was marked by hardship and sorrow, unable to love and suffering from bitter separations, earning her the title of "the weeping Madonna." The meaning of the verse is "My heart hides in the dark corner." Gallé enjoyed infusing poetic sentiments into his creations and giving his works poetic names, such as "Fragrant Memories" and "Dawn and Dusk." More importantly, he engraved verses from the most outstanding poets of his time, like Baudelaire or Maeterlinck, on his works, completely detaching them from the craftsman-like quality of glass workshops. People thus refer to Gallé's works as "speaking glass," meaning a glass art piece that can express thoughts.
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