The Jewelry of René Lalique
René Lalique Art Nouveau Gold, Carved Horn, Enamel and Moonstone Necklace, © Doyle
René Lalique is beloved for his innovative Art Deco glass designs he produced in the 1920s and 1930s but there is much more to this innovative craftsman than a great “Bacchantes” vase. Lalique was also an accomplished jewelry designer, mixing precious stones with glass and enamel to create transcendent pieces that defined the Art Nouveau era. Born in Aÿ in Northeastern France on April 6, 1860, Lalique apprenticed with goldsmith Louis Aucoc at a young age to support his family after his father’s death. This connection would prove a crucial development in his skill and aesthetic. Aucoc himself was also an inventive goldsmith whose work in the Art Nouveau movement was groundbreaking and influential on Lalique’s generation of artisans.
After a time studying in London and Paris, Lalique became a freelance designer at the top jewelry houses before opening his own workshop in 1886. By 1890 he opened a store in the Opéra district of Paris. This time in the 1890s would see some of his most celebrated jewelry work emerge. His childhood summer vacations to his native Aÿ would serve as inspiration for his designs rooted in the natural world. Japanese art, which inspired many French artists in the last half of the 19th century, was also influential to his designs. Lalique’s naturalistic renderings of flora, peacocks, and dragonflies made with a surprising mix of mediums and materials are highly sought-after today. Like many artists, the intrinsic value of his materials was less important than how those materials helped realize his design. It is why you will find molded glass set treated like a valuable jewel and set into a gold frame.
By the 1920s, Lalique moved more into the world of glass, creating vases, perfume bottles, hood ornaments, and tableware that is still vied for by collectors today. The Lalique company is still in business today, producing works from his original designs as well as modern pieces. René Lalique died in Paris in 1945 and his impact on the world of jewelry and design is still felt in the approach and ethos of modern art jewelers and designers.
