Camée glass built up with 2 or 3 glass layers was in the age of the Art Nouveau the most popular glass type. Emile Gallé perfected this technique to an unprecedented level. Without any doubt Gallé is the greatest glass artist of that era and maybe of all eras.

The most important contribution to glass art was his method of the cameé design. Inspired by oriental art forms he developed the method of shaping and etching forms with acid. After the glass was blown with several glass layers and modelled within a form, the decoration pattern was painted on the glass body. The areas within the

painted body were covered with an acid resistant layer. Then the glass work was put in acid. Depending on the debt of the decoration this was done one or several times. The acid removed the glass that was not protected by the acid resistant layer. With this method not only a three dimensional pattern reveals. Underlying glass layers of different colours come through as well. This three dimensional image combined with the unique colouring and quality of decoration gives Gallé a unique position within the world of glass art. The decorations of Galle’s art objects were highly inspired by nature.