Suntory Museum of Art
About the Museum
Collection
Notable Works
Footed Cup, "Cupid Chasing Black Butterfly"

Notable Works

Glass

Footed Cup, "Cupid Chasing Black Butterfly"

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Artist: Emile Gallé
Place of production or style: France / Art Nouveau
Number of components: 1
Dimensions (in cm): D. 8.0, H. (full) 15.6
Date of production: 19th century 1889

Emile Gallé created his own deeply spiritual world, in glass, ceramics, and cabinetry, in Nancy, France, during the Art Nouveau period. This black glass cup, displayed at the 1889 Paris Expo, lyrically presents the story of Cupid, the god of love, and the beautiful girl Psyche. Marriage between gods and human beings was normally forbidden; the couple had to go through repeated trials and tribulations before they could wed. Here Gallé actively corporates black, a color not much used in European craft arts, to express sadness, pain, and loneliness with rich poetic sentiment.

Notable Works

Footed Cup, "Cupid Chasing Black Butterfly"

SUNTORY MUSEUM of ART