Vaas met takken wilde wingerd met blauwzwarte bessen c. 1900 - 1914

This is a glass vase, likely made in France by Legras, showing a wild vine with bluish-black berries. The vase shows glassmaking as an industrial process. Its square shape and subtle coloring, achieved through acid etching or enameling, would have been repeated across many examples. Although the design imitates natural forms, the processes are far removed from that organic origin. Consider the many hands involved in its creation, from the glass blowers to the decorators. The design is not unique. It is a testament to the commodification of nature within an increasingly mechanized world. Thinking about the vase in this way—as an object born from industrial processes, rather than artistic inspiration alone—helps us to see it in a broader social and economic context. It blurs the lines between art, craft, and industry.