Bottle hand from the Legras factory in Saint-Denis (19th century)

This bottle represents a life-sized hand with a frosted glass texture (satin/matt finish), which seems to encase the body of a smooth and transparent glass bottle or flask. 410 g. Height: 29 cm. Length of the bottom ellipse: 7 cm. François-Théodore Legras, a master glassmaker of modest origins, arrived in Saint-Denis at the age of 24 and went from a simple worker to the director of the glassworks in just three years. The Saint-Denis glassworks, established in 1859 on Avenue du Président Wilson (formerly Avenue de Paris), are closely linked to the journey of the person who managed it from 1867. Legras' production, regularly awarded at international exhibitions between 1880 and 1900, declined after the First World War and ceased permanently in 1960. The Legras glassworks and crystal works offered three main types of production: utilitarian glassware for chemical, pharmaceutical, or commercial use; creatively coloured glassware adorned with decorations; and "subject bottles." The bottle presented here is not exceptional but rare. It bears the mark of a registered design. Perfectly displayed on a shelf, this example reveals its crafting characteristics during a particularly meticulous photo session: thus, what might appear to be cracks are not. (See photos).