DAUM, Antonin
French glassmaker. In 1878, his father, Jean Daum (1825-1885), from Alsace, acquired a glass factory, which he renamed Verrerie de Nancy, and there began to produce traditional tableware. His eldest son, Auguste Daum (1853-1909), joined the factory in 1879 and was followed by Antonin Daum, who managed the business from 1887. To save the company from financial ruin, the brothers enlarged the range of coloured glassware in the 1890s. They produced etched, moulded and cameo glass with naturalistic motifs in the Art Nouveau style inspired by the work of their fellow townsman Emile Gallé. Painters and decorators, chief among them being Henri Bergé, provided designs executed by numerous skilled craftsmen under the supervision of Auguste. The originality of Daum glass lies in the diversity of such decorative techniques as enamelling, etching and casing developed for large-scale production, rather than in the quality of the decoration. All pieces made after 1890 bore signatures.
During the 1890s, the Daum brothers collaborated with Louis Majorelle in the design and production of lamps and vases. Daum glass was exhibited regularly at international exhibitions and won a Grand Prix at the Exposition Universelle of 1900 in Paris. In 1901 Auguste and Antonin were, with Emile Gallé as president, founder-members of the Alliance Provinciale des Industries d’Art (later known as the Ecole de Nancy).
