René Lalique

RENÉ LALIQUE (Aÿ, France, 1860- Paris, 1945).
Vase "Luxembourg".
Frosted glass.
Slightly pitted at the base.
Signed.
Measurements: 21.5 x 31 x 31 cm.
Originally, the firm Lalique was founded by René Jules Lalique (1860 - 1945), one of the most prominent glassmakers of the time, and one of the first to sculpt glass for large monumental works, such as the fountains of the Champs Elysees. He enjoyed great recognition thanks to his original creations of jewelry, perfume bottles, glasses, plates, etc., within the Art Nouveau and Art Deco styles. He trained with the Parisian jeweler Louis Aucoq, and then continued his studies at Sudenham Art College in London. The excellence of his creations and the taste he applied to his works earned him important commissions for the interior decoration of ships, trains such as the Orient Express, churches such as St. Nicasius in Reims and numerous religious and civil goldsmiths. Lalique was not content with designing their models, but also founded a factory to produce large quantities, patenting several innovative manufacturing processes of glass, and various technical effects such as "satin Lalique" or opalescent glass. Lalique pieces are preserved in prominent museums such as the Corning Museum of Glass and the Metropolitan in New York, the Louvre or the Orsay in Paris, among many others.
René Lalique died in 1945 and his son Marc took the helm. His inclination, technique and know-how led him to renovate and modernize the Wingen-sur-Moder factory, and Lalique quickly became one of the best glassmakers, not only in France but worldwide. The contrast between pure transparency and satin luster became Lalique's hallmark, at home and abroad. After Marc Lalique's death in 1977, he left the helm of Cristallerie Lalique to his daughter Marie-Claude.