Dear friends, the next part of our virtual album dedicated to GLASS ART of the late XIXth – the first third of the XIXth century, with photographs of unique works by Emile Gallé, Daum Brothers, Müller Freres, Escalier de Cristal, Gabriel Argy-Rousseau, François Décorchemont, Burgun, Schverer & Cie, Legras & Cie, Christian Frères et Fils and crystal manufacturers of Saint-Louis is published.

Continuing the narration about famous Glass Art artists, we present a short fragment from the thematic catalogue "The Lines of Gallé. European and Russian Cased Glass of the late XIX - early XX centuries in Russian Museums collections", about the history of Müller Freres art manufactory.

"The big Müller family (nine brothers and one sister) comes from Kahlhausen on the river Moselle. The eldest brothers - Emil, Henri, Camille, Jean, and Auguste – were practicing in the factory of Saint-Louis. In 1871, the family moved to the French part of Lorraine, to Lunéville. In 1885 one of the brothers, 26 years old Henri, was admitted to the Firm Gallé. His younger brothers, the professionals in engraving and cutting glass, joined Henri later. After some time, Henry Müller became the Production Director and headed the glass division.

In 1895, Henri opens his own Glass Art processing workshop in Lunéville. In 1898, brothers and sister joined Henry, who up to that time quited the Gallé Firm and headed the family business. The firm was named "Mullеr Freres & Cie".

Glass for decoration was ordered at the factory Hinzelin in Croismare. In 1905, the Director of the factory in Val-Saint-Lambert Agis-Léon Ledru invited Désiré and Eugène Müller to Belgium, with the aim of developing new methods of decorating glass.

During the period of three years, they elaborated more than 400 projects in the Nancy school style. Thus, the artistic ideas of the French Art Nouveau Glass were proliferated far beyond Lorraine.

In 1911, the eldest of the brothers, Emil Müller, quitted the family business; soon Camille, Jean and Auguste followed him. Eugène who, as well as Désiré worked at the factory in Val-Saint-Lambert, was killed in 1914. The same year the enterprise in Lunéville was closed. It resumed its operation only after the end of the First World war. Since 1918, the firm "Müller" was specializing on production of lamps. Müller brothers acquired the Hinzelin plant in 1919. Since that time the firm expanded - more than 300 people were employed. In 1936 the firm was closed, only a small workshop survived. A small number of articles for galleries and shops was produced there.¹

¹ Source: “The Lines of Gallé. European and Russian Cased Glass of the Late XIX - Early XX centuries in Russian Museums collections", Moscow, 2013. P.457