The Daum family were originally lawyers, not glassmakers! The glass factory, which was located in Nancy, France, was actually a part payment for a debt that the family received in 1878. It was the youngest son, Antonin, who more than a decade later joined the business as a trained engineer, that made the “Verrerie de Nancy” the success story we know today. The Daum factory exhibited at the Paris exhibition of 1889 where the brothers Antonin and Auguste Daum were influenced by the work of Galle. When Galle died in 1904, the Daum family took over as the leader in glass ware that we know still today. Even though the factory produced watch glass and window glass at first, they ventured into four major art glass areas:
Art Nouveau, Art Deco, Crystal and Nouveau Pate-de-verre. These periods going from heavy enameling and engraving to acid etched colored bowls all the way to clear glass, for which artist like Salvador Dali were invited to contribute limited designs. When inspecting a piece, always look for ‘Daum Nancy’ and at times you will also find the Lorraine cross.
The antique cars we offer are from the Crystal glass period with ‘Daum Nancy” engraved on the side. As a result of post WWII, Daum turned to producing heavy lead crystal, colorless , and shaped into figurines or vessels. These pieces were of very high quality and the art glass emphasized the qualities of clear glass without heavy surface decoration. This type of glass was very popular well into the 1970’s.
Today, the factory operates under the name Cristallerie Daum, making mostly pate-de-verre, crystal glass and tableware.
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