Le Verre Francais Art Nouveau Artistic Glass Vase by Charles Schneider, 1924

Le Verre Français, France ca. 1925 Cameo glass egg cup decorated with stylized flowers. Engraved signature.

This vase is very rare both for its color and design and is called: Plante de Chardon, or thistle plants.
Le Verre Francais was a special line of art glass designs made by the Schneider glassworks in France between 1918 and 1932. The name was used by the Schneiders for vases, bowls, jugs, lamps etc. made of 2 or 3 layer cameo glass in a style that combined art deco and art nouveau features.

This line was first introduced in 1918 and was sold in their retail gallery in Paris, managed by sister Ernestine. Le Verre Francais glass was also sold through major department stores in Paris, the United States and Europe.
Several different signatures were used for the Le verre glass. The first markings consist of a small tricolor glass rod, a patriotic touch representing the red, white and blue French flag, which has been cast on the foot or bottom of the piece. Instead of straight, it can also appear as a tight curl. This signature is commonly called a “candy cane”. The next signature was Le Verre Francais, engraved on or near the bottom of the piece. Especially during changeover periods, pieces can have both of these signatures. Schneider developed all the designs for both glass lines, but for Le Verre he gave artisans the freedom to choose color, shape and size. This explains why some models are available in different colours, with many pieces featuring different shades. In most cases they did a great job adapting the design to a certain shape and size. the tree designs are quite impressive as large pieces. Le Verre glass achieves its impact through a combination of design, shape and colour. The relatively short production period (1918-1933) allows for a fascinating insight into the transition from Art Nouveau to Art Deco. During the early years, realistic drawings of animals – swans, cats – and plants – holly, bluebells – were made in dark shades, so that just by noting the color could you roughly date a piece. As time went on, the designs became more stylized in an art deco style and the colors lightened.
In 1937 Ernest Schneider died and in 1939 the company declared bankruptcy and the glassworks was sold to a fruit juice company. At the start of World War II, in 1940, the invading German army dumped the contents of the glassworks, destroyed many of its documents, and turned it into a brewery.

Dimensions: Height: 23 cm (9.06 in)Diameter: 18 cm (7.09 in)