Druide

The glass of this vase is opalescent (similar to the color of a natural opal) and is built in two layers. Glass does not refract light like gemstones. Gemstones have a crystal lattice, while glass does not. Because glass lacks this property, it is called 'amorphous' (literally: formless). To acquire the properties of a gemstone in glass, Lalique applied the principle of 'casing', building the object from different layers and colour nuances. By blowing transparent and opaque layers of the same glass colour on top of each other, so-called dilations (separations) are created, allowing light to refract through the different layer nuances. Lalique also applied the same technique to other glass colours in order to mimic the colour and properties of gemstones. He was still a jeweler when he began focusing on glass. He applied both his skills as a jeweler and a sculptor to glass designs, hence the high detailled rendering.

Because the mistletoe stays green in the winter and lives as a half-parasite on bare trees, it was seen as a sign of life in death. For the Celts and Germans this was a magical plant that stays between heaven and earth without roots in the earth. The symbolism behind this is referring to the fact that we humans are only temporary users of the earth and therefore passers-by. The message is that we should leave our temporary place clean and unpacked when we die. Celtic priests, such as Druids, saw the mistletoe like a sacral vehicle between heaven and earth. With a golden sickle, this plant was cut off and used as an incantation attribute during rituals to keep out evil spirits. Within more modern trades, the mistletoe is a symbol of love. Kissing one another under the mistletoe would guarantee a happy and long marriage. Mind you, this of course only works if one believes in it.