René Lalique

René Lalique (born April 6, 1860, Ay, France—died May 5, 1945, Paris) was a French jeweler and glass designer during the early 20th century whose creations contributed significantly to the Art Nouveau movement at the turn of the century.

Lalique was trained at the School of Decorative Arts, Paris, and in London (1878–80) and founded his own firm at Paris in 1885. His Art Nouveau brooches and combs attracted great attention at the Paris international exhibition in 1900, after which he became a celebrated jeweler. Among his patrons was the renowned French actress Sarah Bernhardt, for whom he designed some of his finest creations. He was also a technical innovator, successfully introducing new materials, such as horn, by emphasizing their hitherto neglected visual and tactile qualities. His favourite motifs were women—represented with sensuous hair and diaphanous drapery—and animals, especially snakes or insects. Reacting against machine production of more manneristic jewelry featuring precious gems, he created jewelry of elegant and fantastic designs with relatively few precious stones.

Lalique’s interest in rock crystal and architectural glass led him to artistic experiments in those media. By 1910 he had established a glass factory at Combs-la-Ville, France, and in 1918 he acquired a larger factory at Wingen-sur-Moder, France. An order for perfume bottles led him to develop that style of molded glass with which he is generally associated: it is characterized by iced surfaces, elaborate or partially realistic patterns in relief, and occasionally applied or inlaid colour. His relief decoration was produced by blowing into molds or by pressing. His new designs shown at the Paris Exhibition, 1925, greatly enhanced his reputation. Used for luxury articles, Lalique glass was the height of fashion during the 1920s. He was a leading advocate of the use of glass in architecture, and much of his work was in the form of lighting equipment and other details of interior decoration. Under the direction of his son Marc, Lalique’s factory continued to produce glass in his own personal style after his death.