The Glass of Désiré Christian, Ghost for Gallé

During the latter part of the 19th century the firm of Burgun, Schverer & Co. in Meisenthal, Alsace-Lorraine (then part of Germany), turned out some of the finest and most artistic glass objects ever created. The man responsible for much of this effort was Désiré Christian, chief decorator for Burgun & Schverer.Désiré Christian was undeniably one of the greatest glass craftsmen of his time. But he has been overshadowed by another “great,” the Frenchman Emile Gallé. The irony of this situation lies in the fact, according to the author Jules Traub, that Christian, rather than Gallé created and produced many of the finest glass objects that were marketed with a Gallé signature.