Glass is the word

Contemporary art glass is back in vogue, with Lalique attracting plenty of buyers

- Huon Mallalieu

THE career of René Lalique (1860–1945) could almost have been crafted for collectors. He first made his reputation as a jeweller, supplying, among others, Siegfried Bing, whose shop, La Maison de l’Art Nouveau, gave the style its name, and his designs owed much to his apprenticeship with Louis Aucoc, who was already working in that manner. Glass always played a part and one wonders whether Lalique’s fascination with the material may not have owed something to his surroundings during two years of training at the Crystal Palace School of Art. Together with the work of the Belgian Philippe Wolfers, Lalique’s brooches, hair combs, pendants and necklaces, which are often unique pieces, are the most striking in the style.

As Art Nouveau waned following its short dominance of Euro-pean fashion, Lalique transitioned into the foremost Art Deco glassmaker, best known for his iridescent vases, bowls and dishes, as well as for carbonnet mascots, but he also made impressive architectural pieces for hotels, Atlantic liners, including SS Normandie, and a church in Jersey. Some pieces were one-offs and even the commercial runs came in differing colours or tones. After his death, the business continued under his son Marc and granddaughter Marie-Claude, until it was sold in 1994. However, it no longer produced ‘Lalique glass’, turning instead to lead crystal.