Wheel Carved Galle Vase
By using two and three layered glass, Galle designed floral and other patterns which were displayed by carving the glass layers in such a way as to reveal the colored layers beneath the surface. By gradually thinning down successive layers he could obtain an enormous range of color shades and effects. He employed a type of lathe with a variety of emery, copper, lead or wooden wheels of dimensions ranging from fairly large ones down to the tiniest. He also devised a vertical lathe for greater flexibility. In addition, a variety of hand tools were used to obtain certain detailed effects. Wheel-carving was used in conjunction with nearly every other technique on some vessels. In the 1890’s Galle produced a few chunky, very thick-walled vessels which were then deeply carved to produce an effect akin to a relief-sculptured panel.
