As the process involves creating a model in wax that melts as molten glass is poured into the mould, cire perdue glass is characterised by the absence of mould marks and often irregular and textured surfaces punctuated by lines caused by cooling. Typically, fingerprints are also visible, providing a direct link to the artist.
Between 1913 and 1932, Lalique (with the input of the sculptor Maurice Bergelin) executed nearly 650 glass vases, bowls and decorative objects using this technique. Occasionally half a dozen casts might be made but most objects were one-offs.
A 14cm sepia stained Masque De Gorgone vase designed in 1933 sold for £35,200* while the 17cm vases titled Quatre Branches Lierre En Creux Et En Relief designed in 1923 made £40,200*.
Another piece in this 177-lot sale that vividly displayed Lalique’s creative process was a 47cm plaster and wire maquette used in the production of a figural model known as Bacchus Enfant. Designed in 1920 this would have been one of several preparatory maquettes made for the finished group that was intended to be the centrepiece for the Bacchus Enfant table exhibited at the Musée des arts dècoratifs in 1933. A photograph showing the piece is in Felix Marcilhac’s Lalique catalogue raisonne (2011). It sold at £12,600*.
