DELATTE. Ovoid vase.

André Delatte (1887-1953) : mastery of the art of glassblowing

Sand, shells and plants are the main components of glass. This material is now popular and used daily. Since its discovery it has been exploited for various purposes such as for precious objects, windows, containers, etc.  But glass has also been a material favored by artists, especially during the first two decades of the 20th century, periods known as Art Nouveau and Art Deco.


Glass vase Emile Gallé (1846-1904) presented by Expertissim.com

 

André Delatte (1887-1953) was one of those glass artists.

André Delatte and the Delatte Nancy industries from 1919 to 1933
André Delatte, first began as a banker in the early 20th century then became interested in the glass industry after WWI and the workshops of the famous Muller family. Since 1919 he founded his own workshop where glass objects were decorated, manufactured in the Muller workshops but designed by Andre Delatte.  His initial styling was Art Deco, then his objects became closer to Art Nouveau style.
In 1921, André Delatte founded the “Verrerie de l'Est” (Glass of the East), his first kiln. A few years later the “Delatte Nancy” industries were at their peak, with over 60 employees, but in 1933 the industrial crisis occurred.
André Delatte opened a last glass studio in 1935, with the help of the glassworks Saint Gobain and it only lasts two years. However for the rest of his life, André Delatte continued to work in the glass industry.

The vase by Andre Delatte presented by Expertissim.com illustrates the infinite variation of forms rendered with glass. Another vase by André Delatte, also available with Expertissim.com, shows how Delatte Nancy industries sought to create original objects by their color and shape, differing from other glassmakers and other glass manufacturers in vogue during the beginning of the machine era.

   
Blue marmorean glass vase, Delatte Nancy
Ovoid vase with bellflower motif, Delatte Nancy

 

The development of this glass technique dates back centuries ago.

Sand in molten glass
Glass is primarily a craft. The expertise involved is valuable. During the Middle Ages, glass acquired a certain nobility due to its difficulty in making, hence its composition was a closely guarded secret.
The glass maker must select components carefully. The silica contained in more or less abundant quantities notably with sand enables the glass to be resistant yet increase its melting temperature.  The glassmith needs to add a flux to lower the temperature to about 1500 ° C and to manipulate the glass longer. Sodium and potassium, found notably in marine and terrestrial plants, are then often used. Finally, the glass contains lime which makes it insoluble in water.  Lime is found often in certain seashells.
To achieve this composition, years of research and technological advances were necessary. In fact,  glass was found in 1500 B.C. in Mesopotamia and Egypt, yet not like today’s glassworks. Bubbles can be seen on the surface

during firing.  The work was more difficult because the kilns available to the artisans were either gas or coal, and could reach only a maximum temperature of 1300 ° C.
Even today the glass objects are rarely a perfect finish. Retouching and polishing is often needed along the edges. The vase featured on Expertissim.com has an exceptional finish for it was not necessary to erode the contours.

Detail from the top of a Delatte Nancy vase

 

The rediscovery of colorless glass
Contrary to widespread belief, glass is not transparent. It naturally has a greenish tint due to residual iron in certain elements of its composition.  Knowledge on making clear glass began with the Roman times, but was lost in the early Middle Ages.  The glass blower then added dyes to vary the hues: cobalt oxide produces a blue glass, tin makes the glass more white, copper gives it a red tint, etc.
Selenium and manganese was not rediscovered until the late Middle Ages. These dyes discolor the glass and make it transparent.

Comparison of the vase
The shaping of the glass has also evolved with improved techniques.  The use of blowing with a pipe, dating from 2500 years ago, has enabled the manufacture of shaped objects with increased diversity and sophistication, while lowering production costs.. The population then used more glass containers.
Blowing with a pipe involves respirating into a hollow tube creating a molten glass bubble called a parison, and is heated to about 650 ° C to 1000 ° C.  The glassmith then blows through the pipe to empty the parison, then lengthen it, stretch it or turn quickly to obtain the desired shape.

Soliflore vase by Bertil Vallien and Koste Boda production (circa 1970), of blown glass, presented by Expertissim.com

 

The vase by André Delatte presented by Expertissim.com has the distinction of being blown directly into the mounting. The glass blower blew the parison inside the structure, working gently the edges.  The material here had been forced to marry a predetermined structure, highlighting the skill of the master glassmaker.


Wrought iron structure, Delatte Nancy vase

 

ENRIQUEZ Clémence, étudiante à l'Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne

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Reference: 2011040137

Signature: DELATTE

Items 1

Valuation:
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DELATTE.

Ovoid vase.

Industrial proof realized with pink glass overlaid against a marmorean ground. Acid-etched cameo decor of campanulas, two heat-applied and heat-shaped handles.

Signed.

Height: 24 cm (9-1/4 in.).