René Lalique- Art Deco

Lalique was born in the late 19th century and from an early age showed a love for art and nature. He went into the jewellery trade, but continued to study Art. He took up sculpturing, but still designed jewellery on a freelance basis. His designs were original and his work took him to famous jewellers such as Cartier.

His jewellery designs are typical of the Art Nouveau style. Once Lalique opened his new workshop in Paris, he began to manufacture glass and experiment in glass design. He initially integrated glass into his jewellery collection, but later on began to produce perfume bottles, mirrors, lamps, tableware and chandeliers. His masterpiece was a glass fountain which was the typical symbol of French Art Deco. After he held his first exhibition showing just his glassware, he abandoned his jewellery designs to focus on his glass designing and manufacturing. His style, even though geometric, still incorporated softer sculptures of flora, fauna and the female form. The glass used was mainly a contrast of clear and frosted glass, with sometimes a slight colouring within the glass itself.

LALIQUE. no date. René Lalique, revolutionary artist. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.lalique.com/en_GB/esprit/lalique-spirit-1/rene-lalique-1#/en_GB/lalique-spirit/rene-lalique-1/rene-lalique-revolutionary-artist-en-gb-91. [Accessed 26 January 14].

A Directory of Art Deco Designers. no date. René Jules Lalique. [ONLINE] Available at: http://home.freeuk.net/eastburytech/GCSE-Resouce/art-deco-biography.htm#lalique. [Accessed 26 January 14].

Bacchantes vases by René Lalique

This typical Bacchantes vase is elaborately decorated with a frieze of Greek women in various poses. It has a wide mouth and measures around 25cm. It was first shown in the 1927 Harris Exposition show. It is probably the most famous vase René Lalique produced. The vase was manufactured in clear, slightly coloured glass and also with rare frosted glass and it is still produced like this today. The blue colour is a blue staining through the opalescent glass.

Finesse Fine Art. 2003. 1927 Lalique Opalescent Bacchantes Vase. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.finesse-fine-art.com/Showcase/Lalique/BacchantesOpal/index.htm. [Accessed 26 January 14].

Heinrich Hoffmann vase

This Bacchantes vase was actually created by a Czechoslovakian company called Heinrich Hoffmann. The quality was as good as Lalique's, sometimes even better. Hoffmann , like Lalique, began producing glass during Art Nouveau, but into Art Deco. Even though this piece is a reflection of Lalique's Bacchantes vase, it is still very valuable. During the time frame it was made Lalique's glassware was highly popular, so lesser known makers tried to take some share of the market, in fact a lot of glassware, very similar to Lalique's was produced in Czechoslovakia.

AntiqueAppraise.com. 2013. Lalique,Contemporary or Reproduction. [ONLINE] Available at: http://antique-appraise.com/index.php/laliquecontemporary-reproduction/. [Accessed 26 January 14].