René Lalique

René Lalique was a French jeweller and glass designer. His work greatly influenced the early 20th-century Art Nouveau movement. Born in 1860 in Aÿ-Champagne, France, Lalique trained at the School of Decorative Arts, Paris, and in London. He began his career as an independent designer at major ateliers like Cartier and Boucheron. In 1888, he founded his own Lalique shop in Paris.

By the turn of the century, René Lalique had become one of the world’s most successful jewellers. Fascinated by the natural world, mythology and the female form, Lalique’s jewellery has a dreamlike quality, known for the jeweller’s use of unique gemstones and skilled craftsmanship. His delicate designs include gold and precious stones combined with new materials like amber, horn, ivory, enamel and glass. His avant-garde style attracted an elite clientele, including financier and oil magnate Calouste Gulbenkian and actress Sarah Bernhardt.

Lalique’s final jewellery show was in 1912, at a time when his work was being widely copied. Seeking to protect his designs and driven by a newfound passion, he turned his focus to glassmaking. He started making perfume bottles, glasses, carafes and vases on a semi-industrial scale. To meet growing demand, Lalique expanded his operations by opening the Alsace factory in 1922.

What set Lalique apart from his glassmaking contemporaries was his commitment to modernity. He abandoned multi-layer, multi-coloured glass for its lack of clarity. He embraced the Art Deco spirit, blending pure lines and geometric designs with natural motifs. He also introduced new techniques, including press-moulding and sandblasting. They let him produce his designs in great numbers without compromising quality. René Lalique died in 1945 at the age of 85.

Today, standout pieces in the Art Nouveau Lalique style are treasured for their originality and excellence of design rather than the intrinsic value of their materials. Take Lalique’s enamel, diamond and pearl wasp pendant necklace, which sold for CHF 972,500, more than 10 times its low estimate, in Beyond Boundaries: Magnificent Jewels from a European Collection at Christie’s in Geneva in 2017. This sale turned out to be a milestone event in the jewellery world, representing the largest collection of René Lalique jewellery ever to come to market.

Art Deco movement page: ‘Read all about the art nouveau movement.’