NOUVEAU/

No. 12 — Émile Gallé

Bed ‘Aube et Crépuscule’ (Dawn and Twilight)

Object record
ArtistÉmile Gallé, 1846–1904
Date1904
Mediumcarved rosewood and fruitwood marquetry with mother-of-pearl and glass inlay
CityNancy
LocationMusée de l'École de Nancy, France — permanent display

Designed in 1904, the last year of Gallé's life, this monumental bed carries a marquetry programme contrasting dawn moths and morning glories with dusk butterflies and poppies, symbolising life and death.

Executed with his cabinetmaking workshops around the time of his death, it stands as a summation of the École de Nancy's union of symbolism and industry.

It is now the centrepiece of the Musée de l'École de Nancy.

Generative companiondrag to turn · arrow keys rotate

Dark wood carved into branches where dawn moths fade into twilight poppies across inlaid panels.

The companion piece

Dark wood carved into branches where dawn moths fade into twilight poppies across inlaid panels. The algorithm runs live above; when WebGL sleeps, the drawn still takes its place.

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