The son of ceramic and glass manufacturer in Nancy, France, Gallè began working for his father at age 19, designing floral decoration. One of Gallé’s major achievements was his development of cameo glass, where fused layers of colored glass were painted with an acid-resistant material and immersed in an acid bath. The butterfly motif in this molded and etched vase attests to his interest in entomolgy, which he studied in Weimar, Germany, from 1862 to 1866. It could also be linked with Asian motifs, which inspired many Art Nouveau designers.