Our selection of 3 exhibitions that celebrate the art of jewelry
René Lalique, a daring creator
Round and luminous, like a drop of water… the Cabochon ring has been copied so often that we sometimes forget that this polished crystal ring was born in the mind of the artist René Lalique, in 1931. This jewel with its refined style is not the first of his pieces to magnify glass. Because, since the 1890s, the designer has integrated this mineral substance into his creations. This unprecedented use at the end of the 19th century gave René Lalique a unique aura, which continues to this day.
It is his work and its developments that the Lalique Museum – open since 2011 in Wingen-sur-Moder (Bas-Rhin), not far from the still active factory – is tracing its work until November 3. A hundred brooches, necklaces, combs, belt buckles, pendants, etc., a selection of preparatory drawings of astonishing detail and display cases revealing the back of the sets highlight the particularities, audacity and technical innovations of this visionary. Before becoming a master of Art Nouveau, René Lalique (1860-1945) created his first pieces of jewelry in 1888, after having designed them for renowned jewelers. His original, refined, elegant style, teeming with details, seduced. Sarah Bernhardt was one of his clients. Drawing his inspiration from fauna, flora and women, Lalique designed timeless ornaments. To give substance to the fashion accessories he imagines, he ingeniously renews his range of materials by integrating those that had been disdained until then. Silver, bronze, ivory, horn, enamel, turquoise soon rub shoulders with gold and gems.
Democratizing beauty
For Véronique Brumm Schaich, director of the museum, “Lalique’s choices have only one goal: to respond to his artistic project”. Indeed, glass is easier to work with than stone, it can be engraved, tinted. Enamel offers many nuances. Artificial ivory, or galalith, allows for playing with textures of great finesse. This is particularly the case on the ribbed heart of the orchid in the Cattleya tiara (exhibition poster) . “At Lalique, there is a desire to bring beauty into people’s homes, to democratize luxury. From the beginning, he had costume jewelry in mind,” explains the director. Throughout the spaces of this short exhibition, beauty is everywhere. From the pendant-brooch and its chain named Ivy Leaves and Couple… to the brooch-corsage ornament Night Butterflies, delight meets astonishment. With glass, mass production of jewelry becomes possible. This is the case for the Dahlias and Flat Washers necklaces and the Épis or Fleurs rings, presented at the end of the exhibition. This manufacturing method using molds reduces the cost of production, and therefore the sale price.
Despite everything, Lalique jewelry remained the preserve of a wealthy population. The democratization he was aiming for would come with perfume bottles and tableware. Because, tired of being copied, in 1912, René Lalique abandoned jewelry to devote himself to glassware. Another source of wonder.
