René Lalique is considered one of the world's finest crystal jewellery designers within the art Deco and Nouveau circles. René Lalique was born in 1860 and first began designing fine jewelry in Paris in 1881. In 1907, Rene Lalique acquired a passion for glass, which had become an element of his works. The artist craftsman became a manufacturer, reinventing the perfume bottle and developing opalescent glass. He decorated the Orient Express and the Normandy cruise ship, designed the fountains on the Rond Point des Champs Elysees.
Lalique was heavily influenced by the natural environment and this is seen in his work. His designs have an elegant simplicity and he pioneered the frosted glass look whereby translucency, depth and relief are displayed to great effect. Keeping with the natural environment theme, many of Lalique's jewellery and crystal vases feature flowers and flowing organic lines.
Lalique was well known for a wide variety of objects including perfume bottles, vases, inkwells, decorative boxes, and bookends. In 1921 a larger factory was established at Wingen-sur-Moder in Alsace-Lorraine. By the '30s Lalique was world renowned as the most important designer of his time. |
