Gui’ vase, around 1895. Heigh: 12.2 cm. Daum is one of the only crystal manufacturers toe employ the pâte de verre (glass paste) process for art glass and crystal sculptures, a technique in which crushed glass is packed into a refractory mould and then fused in a kiln. The Daum family worked at the beginning of the Art Nouveau era and created one of France’s most prominent glassworks. Established at the end of the 19th century, Daum’s renown was originally linked to the École de Nancy and the art of pâte-de-cristal, a major contributing factor in terms of its worldwide reputation. During the Universal Exhibition of 1900 Daum was awarded a’Grand Prix’ medal. Daum glass became more elaborate. Acid etching (by Jacques Grüber) was often combined with carving, enamelling, and engraving on a single piece of glass to produce creative glass masterpieces. The most complicated creations also featured applied glass elements, such as handles and ornamental motifs in naturalistic forms. The Daum brothers soon became a major force in the Art Nouveau movement, seriously rivalling Gallé, so much so that when Émile Gallé died in 1904 they became the leaders in the field of decorative glass. Daum display in Harrods London department store in 2007 In 1906 Daum revived pâte de verre (glass paste), an ancient Egyptian method of glass casting, developing the method so that by the 1930s Daum’s window panels used pâte de verre for richness instead of leaded or painted glass. Today Daum still uses this method to produce their pieces.