Daum Frères, Nancy, France

Why this artist matters now

Daum Frères was a French glassmaking firm founded in Nancy in 1875, renowned for innovative Art Nouveau vessels characterized by internal color stratification, acid-etched surfaces, and sculptural forms. The brothers Auguste and Antonin Daum developed proprietary techniques for embedding metallic oxides and layered glass to achieve depth and atmospheric effects impossible in conventional glasswork. Their production ranged from functional tableware to monumental art glass, often incorporating naturalistic motifs of flora and landscape. The firm became a cornerstone of the Nancy School, establishing standards for industrial glass art that influenced European decorative production into the twentieth century.

Source: Moma Bulk 2026 05 04 · Trust score: 92% · Updated 29d ago