Rene Lalique, or his work. b.
April 6, 1860, in
Ay, France; d.
May 5, 1945, in
Paris.
A
jeweler and
designer who was extremely
influential in the
fin de siecle/
1900s Art Nouveau/
Arts and Crafts movement.
Lalique's
breathtaking work was favored by luminaries such as
Sarah Bernhardt, and featured
beautiful women with long hair,
elaborate
drapery, and fantastic
serpents and
dragonflies. He also experimented with
materials, incorporating non-precious substances such as
horn,
rock crystal, and
glass into both
fine jewelry and
architecture. Lalique glass is distinguished by
iced surfaces,
relief patterns, and
enamel or
inlaid color.
His works are incredibly
expensive now, but his
brooches,
hair combs and other
jewelry can be seen in many
museums and
Art Nouveau books.
Lalique is my second-favorite
artist from this period after
Alphonse Mucha, but unlike Mucha, one can't buy
reproductions. I can only dream of owning a piece...