Rene Lalique was glass designer and master jeweller during the Art Nouveau era. His great talent and creativity evolved over time and he developed his style to such an extent that he was able to dominate the Art Deco glass and jewelry markets also.
Lalique was born April 6, 1860 in Ay, a small town in the Champagne region of France. He went to college in Paris where he perfected his drawing talent. In 1874, he began a goldsmith apprenticeship with the Parisian jeweler, Louis Aucoq and 2 years later moved to London to attend the Sydenham Art College.
During this time his skills improved remarkably and he started doing freelance work for the Houses of Coty, Boucheron and Coty. He started his own company in 1885. It still operates to this day.
His boyhood summers were spent in his home town, Ay, and this early exposure to nature would forever influence his style. His pieces contained classic Art Nouveau motifs like insects, dragonflies, flowers, birds and other natural life forms.
He designed a variety of stunning pieces – jewelry, tableware, glass perfume bottles, vases, lighting and figurines and even car hood ornaments! In the 1920s, his style evolved from the naturalistic Art Nouveau forms, to more streamlined pieces to suit the newly emerging Deco aesthetic.
He began using materials typical of the 1920s and 1930s – chrome, ivory, enamel and metal. His glass pieces became more “opalescent, produced by adding phosphates, fluorine and aluminum oxide to glass in order to make it opaque, and by adding tiny amounts of cobalt to produce an internal blue tint.”
To learn more about Lalique’s career during the Art Deco Era, visit Art Deco Artists.
I have a thing for sexy, glamorous art and Art Deco is the ultimate representation. I’m fascinated and inspired by this incredible movement and wanted to share everything there is to know about it.
Whether you’re an Art lover like me, a student doing a research project or simply a curious passerby, I hope you will find something of interest on my website: Art Deco Style – The Ultimate Guide to Art Deco: http://www.art-deco-style.com
The Royal Doulton is an English company, founded in the 19th century by John Doulton. It specialised in producing tableware and collectibles and had its first headquarters in London. The company’s fame grew in the field of pottery as they excelled in producing cookware, glassware, porcelain items, gift ware and other kinds of collectibles. The Royal Doulton has now branched out into brands like the Minton, Royal Albert, Gordon Ramsay and Monique Luhilier.