In general it is worth noting that Brocard's glassworks are made from blown glass and therefore do not display the same regularity as glass pieces produced from molds. In addition, all enamel work is performed by hand and outlined with gold or paint (these elements exemplify the Brocard style).
The pieces are then exposed to the heat of a furnace, thus allowing the complete fusion of the enamel and the glass to take place.

Biography

Philippe-Joseph Brocard (1831-1896), glassblower and enameller.

Born in Lens Saint Servais in Belgium (Archives) Brocard was the first modern glassblower in France to be considered an artist and, like Théodore Deck, found new means of expression through drawing on the forms and practices of decoration originating in the Middle East (L'Art en France sous le Second Empire).

Collector, art restorer and self-taught craftsman, Brocard was incredibly inspired by the enamel and old glazed glassworks found in the great collections of the time and those featured at the Universal Exhibitions. He made his debut at the Universal Exhibition of 1867 in Paris with his own enamel glass pieces, all already displaying a sensibility toward Islamic motifs and ornamentation. This sensibility would remain part of his work over the next two decades.

His glass works had a tremendous influence on the first enamel pieces of Emile Gallé, who in turn would inspire Brocard in his creations of the 1880s – creations which were decidedly European in shape and patterning.

The scholarship on Philippe-Joseph Brocard is incomplete and many dates surrounding his life and work remain unknown. Nevertheless, it can be confirmed that throughout the 1870s Brocard resided at 23 rue Bertrand, Paris and that around 1878 he began to work alongside his son Emile-Joseph (Gazette de l'Hôtel Drouot), henceforth signing his works "Brocard et Fils" (Brocard and Son).

Brocard showed at numerous exhibitions, including:
The Universal Exhibition of 1867 in Paris
L'Exposition de l'Union Centrale des Arts Décoratifs of 1869
The Universal Exhibitions of 1871 and 1872 in London
The Universal Exhibition of 1873 in Vienna (Gold Medal)
The Universal Exhibition of 1876 in Philadelphia
The Universal Exhibitions of 1878 and 1889 in Paris

In 1891 Brocard officially patented his manufacturing process.

After his death in 1896, the production house would continue his work for a short time under the name of "Verrerie Brocard" and participate in the Universal Exhibition held in St. Louis (USA) in 1904 (Catalogue général / Exposition / Saint-Louis 1904).

Bibliography

Revues :
De Liesville, (A.-R.), « Les Industries d'Art au Champ de Mars, IVb Verrerie », dans L'Art Moderne à l'Exposition de 1878, Publication de la Gazette des Beaux-Arts, Paris, 1879, pp. 430 et 432
La Gazette de l'Hôtel Drouot, Paris, n° 13, 2009, p. 136, fig. p. 136
Laurent, (S.), « Dossier, Ce Curieux XIXe siècle, L'imaginaire de l'ailleurs » dans La Gazette de l'Hôtel Drouot, n° 14, Paris, 2009, p. 181

Exhibition Catalogues :
L'Art en France sous le Second Empire, Paris/Grand Palais, 1979, pp. 243-244, fig. 133
H. Blairman & Son LTD, Catalogue, Furniture and Works of Art, London, 2008, notice n° 14, fig. notice n° 14
Bonaparte et l'Egypte, feu et lumières, Institut du monde arabe / Région Nord - Pas-de-Calais, 2008, pp. 360 et 390, fig. 284, 323 et 324
Catalogue général officiel de la section française / Exposition Internationale Universelle de Saint-Louis 1904, Paris, 1904, p.39, n°10
Der Traum vom Glück : Die Kunst des Historismus in Europa / Ausstellung im Künstlerhaus und der Akademie der Bildenden Künste in Wien, 1996-1997, p. 601, notice n° 21.118, fig. p. 600
L'Exposition de Paris 1878, Paris, 1878, p. 227, fig. p. 228
The Illustrated Catalogue of the International Exhibition 1871, published with the Art Journal, London, 1871, fig. p. 57
Smith, (Prof. W.), The Masterpieces of the Centennial International Exhibition illustrated: Industrial Art, Philadelphia, vol. II, 1876-1878, pp. 473-476

Catalogue Raisonné :
Petit, (G.), Catalogue raisonné de la collection de verrerie occidentale (XVe-XXe siècles) du musée des Beaux-Arts de Dijon, 2 vol., Mémoire de Master I d'histoire de l'Art Moderne de l'université de Bourgogne, 2005, vol. I, n° 134

Books :
Alcouffe, (D.), Bascou, (M.), Dion-Tanenbaum, (A.), Thiébaut, (P.), Le Arti Decorative Alle Grandi Esposizioni Universali, 1851-1900, Milano, 1988, pp. 226, 284, fig. 310, 311, 312 et 313
Bloch-Dermant, (J.), L'Art du Verre en France, 1860-1914, Paris, 1974, pp. 22-27, fig. p. 25
Cappa, (G.), Le Génie Verrier de l'Europe, Témoignages, De l'Historicisme à la Modernité (1840-1998), Sprimont- Belgique, 1998, pp. 191-192, fig. 312
Du Pasquier, (J.), Histoire du Verre, Les Chefs-d'Oeuvre de l'Islam, Paris, 2007, pp. 136-149, fig. pp. 138-139 et 141
Enault, (L.), Les arts industriels : Vienne, Londres, Paris, 1877, t. 2, pp. 78 et 79
Ennès, (P.), Histoire du Verre, Au Carrefour de l'Art et de l'Industrie, Le XIXe siècle, Paris, 2006, pp. 184-189, fig. pp. 184-185
Jones, (O.), The Grammar of l'Ornament, London, 1856, pp. 55-75, ill. 58-59, pl. XXXI-XXXVIII et XL-XLII*
Thiébaut, (P.), Orsay, Les arts décoratifs, Paris, 2003, p. 43, fig. p. 44

Archives :
Listes électorales de la ville de Paris de 1891, PARIS EL. 1891 / 7 / Brocard