Nancy - Art Nouveau Windows & Crème de Violette

Lillian :  We did, of course, go to the musée de l'Ecole de Nancy and we'll show you photos of that marvellous place in our next post.  In this post, we are going to show you some things we saw on the way to the Museum.

Audrey :  Because there is so much lovely Art Nouveau in Nancy that it doesn't all fit into a museum - it is all over the place!  
Lillian :  Quite - and lovely coloured glass, lead-light windows are quite noticeable examples of Everyday Art Nouveau in Nancy.
Audrey : Most of these windows are 'fan-lights' - small windows over the main door of the building.

Lillian : It is difficult to photograph windows from the outside, in daylight - the colours in the glass are actually much prettier.  For example, this lovely design with 2 blue flowers, had a sweet contrast in the colours of the backgrounds - pistacchio green behind the flowers, pretty mauve round the edge ...

Audrey : There was a row of very similar buildings - all had fan-lights with this design of 3 petaled flowers but they were done in different colours - here are 2 examples.














Audrey : And here are those 3 petaled flowers again - but this time as panels in a door.  The centers of these flowers look just like lollies!  (you can click on the photos to see them larger).

 

3 flowers

 Lillian : The shape of a fan-light window is ideal for a design of 3. 

3 branches of blue things

3 Gorgeous Red Orchids

 

Audrey :  More lovely red flowers - this window was on a corner.

  Lillian : I'm not sure what sort of flowers those are but at the bottom of the windows  -  

I think those are honeysuckle flowers.

Audrey : Another red flower - very elegant.

Lillian : And these pale blue 'clouds' are probably l'ombrelles flowers (see our last post for more info).

Audrey : Someone had their initials done in lead-light glass - I wonder what their name was ... let's see, perhaps Geneviève St-Maman?

Lillian : One more lovely lead-light window - Blossom, Butterflies and a Birdie.

We call these birds Swallows

Audrey : Which is "gulp" quite odd - in French they are l'hirondelle. 

 

Lillian : I think we might have taken the wrong bus to the Musée de l'Ecole de Nancy because we did have to walk quite a long way - and it was rather hot so this street sign seemed quite apt.

Supper - lovely olives, herbed cheese, grapes...

Audrey : Ah, but after the Museum, we did a little shopping and had a nice supper in our hotel room - and - well - um - perhaps you had a little too much to drink that evening Lillian. 

 Lillian :  Oh - the Crème de Violette.  It is such a pretty purple colour, it smells and tastes like pretty violets ...

Even in a plastic cup it is a gorgeous colour

Kir Violette - with some bubbly

 Lillian : I think that I forgot that it is also an alcohol. 

Audrey :  Poor thing - you weren't quite yourself the next morning.