Lalique

Lalique & Jewellery

2 April 2024

Joy McCall

One of the most celebrated designers of his generation, René Lalique is regarded as the leading Art Nouveau jeweller and was recognised as such during his lifetime. In acknowledgment of his creative genius, Lalique was awarded France’s highest civic award the Legion d’honneur in 1897.

In his youth, Lalique decided to become a jewellery designer and was then apprenticed to Louis Aucoc at the age of 16. His studies included a period at the Ecole des Arts Decoratifs, a couple of years at Sydenham College in England, as well as a time focussing on sculpture under Justin Lequien at the Ecole Bernard Palissy. Initially, Lalique worked as an independent designer for houses such as Cartier and Boucheron and, in 1885, he established his jewellery business in Paris.

Lalique

Explore the 25 April 2024 auction taking place live at the Mall Galleries, London and online.

Lalique & Jewellery with Senior Specialist Joy McCall

Join Head of Sale Joy McCall as she discusses René Lalique's influence on the development of modern day jewellery.

In designing jewellery René Lalique was creating works of art. He was the inventor of modern jewellery. To him jewellery was not primarily about the preciousness of material, but rather he explored the potential that a wide range of materials provided and contributed to his imaginative creations. He still worked with precious metals and gemstones but innovatively combined these with semi-precious stones and horns, as well as with glass and enamel.

RENÉ LALIQUE (1860-1945)

A glass, enamel and diamond bracelet, brooch and earring suite, by Lalique, circa 1905-10

Lalique's idea of combining precious materials with new materials was groundbreaking. This examples shows the combination of diamonds and gold with enamel and glass, the diamonds are smaller and less apparent, acting as compliments to the green glass foliage elements.

Sold for £26,250 incl premium | Select Jewellery & Watches | October 2020

Lalique’s jewellery was not limited to a single type of item but rather included rings, bracelets, brooches, cufflinks, necklaces, pendants, buckles, belts and hatpins. The subject matter of his pieces was vast, but usually related to nature or the human form, including foliage and flowers, trees, fruits, insects, birds, animals and reptiles, and the human figure.

RENÉ LALIQUE (1860-1945)

SAUTERELLES HATPIN, NO. 1554

His foil backed glass pieces capture the light and have a reflective quality which brings them to life. Very often the glass used in these pieces was clear and it is the different coloured foil backings which give the pieces their colour.

Lot 6 | designed 1911 | £500 - £700 + fees

Whilst bracelets date back to antiquity, it was only in the 20th Century that they became affordable and mass-produced. René Lalique was a designer who most certainly contributed to this process. His first bracelets were rings of glass in 1919, but these were fragile and easily succumbed to damage. In 1927 he designed extendable bracelets composed of elements secured by elastic.

Lalique’s significance in the field of jewellery lies in his willingness to experiment with methods, techniques, and materials.