Charming Petite French Belle Époque Olive-Tinted Enameled Glass Carafe - 9¾"

This petite Belle Époque carafe in hand-blown, olive-tinted glass rises with graceful poise, its softly rounded baluster body tapering into a slender neck with an everted collar and settling onto a gently spreading foot. A matching olive-shaped stopper completes the silhouette, giving the whole piece a harmonious, almost botanical presence. Across the surface, raised polychrome enamel paints a lyrical scene of poppy blossoms, berries, and trailing foliage, each stroke enriched with delicate gilt scrollwork that catches the light in a warm, understated shimmer. Tiny air bubbles from the blowing process lend a charming trace of the maker’s hand, while light rubbing to the gilding speaks to its age and use; overall the carafe remains in very good condition, with no chips or cracks observed.

This graceful enameled glass is in the manner of Legras et Cie of Saint-Denis, whose ateliers around 1890 to 1910 favored softly colored grounds enlivened by naturalistic floral motifs outlined in gold. Such petite carafes were commonly used for cordials or liqueurs and were prized both for service and display. The palette, the delicate raised enamel, and the attenuated neck reflect Parisian savoir-faire of the period, when Art Nouveau tastes embraced botanical subjects and elegant, lightweight forms.

Perfect on a bar cart for an after-dinner digestif, this carafe also reads beautifully as a decorative accent on a dresser or in a bathroom, where its gentle hue brings a quiet note of elegance. Place it on a mirrored tray, in a vitrine, or on a mantel so the light can slip through the olive glass and catch the gilded enamel in soft glints. It harmonizes gracefully when grouped with French faïence or other émaillé glass for a curated vignette, yet it is equally compelling on its own atop a bedside table, offering a refined and intimate touch.