By Véronique Baudoüin

Invasions and battles have pummeled Lorraine for centuries, making this region in Northeast France seem like an improbable destination for visitors. But this troubled history also made Lorraine a place of vibrant imagination and resistance, and its former capital, Nancy, a hotbed of design innovation.

Located 176 miles east of Paris, Nancy remained French after Prussia's conquest in 1871, but was separated from its close-knit neighbors Alsace and Moselle. The experience left the city tasting defeat and yearning for revenge, but it also served to accelerate the city's development. Within a couple of years, Nancy (pronounced nahn-see) doubled in size and population, absorbing refugees from the areas annexed by Prussia and flaunting its newly expanded industrial and military capacities in the face of its enemy.

This upheaval and subsequent growth gave rise to a branch of Art Nouveau called the Ecole de Nancy (School of Nancy). Popularized by such artists as Emile Gallé, Victor Prouvé, Camille Martin, Antonin Daum, Jacques Gruber and Louis Majorelle, the School of Nancy influenced architecture, furniture, glassware, ceramics and other media, occasionally using ornament to express the region's tumultuous history. Native son Emile Gallé caused a sensation with a dining table called The Rhine which was exhibited at the 1889 Paris Exposition. Carved thistle, ivy and forget-me-nots blanket the base, representing courage, loyalty and memory— three symbols of Lorraine. The marquetry top depicts the Rhine River as the historical border between France and Germany, thus expressing the desire that Alsace be returned to France… Subscribe to read the entire article.