A rare Gallé carved, enamelled and gilt Historicist glass vase, circa 1900, designed by Louis Hestaux, the clear cylindrical body with shaded brown to green mottled internal colouring and external staining, with pinched trefoil shaped rim, carved in relief with the title of Villon's poem 'La Ballade des Dames du Temps Jadis', beside and beneath an enamelled figure and illuminated manuscript style text, also incorporating a shield with entwined 'EG' monogram and Cross of Lorraine, cameo mark to side 'Gallé 1884-1900', height 21.5cm. Note: François Villon is the best-known French poet of the late Middle Ages. This vase is one of a series which was based on Villon's poem and includes amongst the decoration the question 'Mais où sont les neiges d'antan?', taken from 'La Ballade des dames du Temps Jadis' and translated by Dante Gabriel Rossetti as'Where are the snows of yesteryear?' This is one of the most famous lines of translated secular poetry in the English-speaking world.