On display are two exceptionally rare large black hyalite vases, made by the glass factory of Val Saint Lambert, Liège Belgium, in the early Art Nouveau period. The vases have a glossy black non-transparent surface with an oval rounded and flattened structure that at the top changes into a narrowing shoulder with a vertical neck. The base is lined with a thick gold-plated band and the top edge also has an analog gold-plated band. The front of one vase is hand-painted with a gilded decor of large bamboo branches with green accents. In high relief, various insects have been painted very accurately, lifelike, in different enamel colours. We see a butterfly, a dragonfly, a mosquito, a moth and a caterpillar. On the other side we see a smaller bamboo branch and a mosquito. The other vase has an almost identical decor, only the caterpillar has been replaced by a ladybird. The underside is polished flat. There is no mark. It is clear that the sets are inspired by the “Japonism” from which the Art Nouveau movement originated. The vases date from about 1880.

Condition: some minimal surface injuries, almost perfect.