Caged Silver Chalice

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Caged Silver Chalice

Artist René Jules Lalique (French, 1860-1945)

Place of OriginFrance

Date1902

Dimensions7 1/2 in. (19.1 cm)

Mediumsilver and opal glass

ClassificationMetalwork

Credit LinePurchased with funds from the Florence Scott Libbey Bequest in Memory of her Father, Maurice A. Scott

Object number

1976.1

Not on View

DescriptionCage blown silver, chased, and opalescent glass.

Label TextTrained in Paris and London within the rigid practices of the 19th-century goldsmith’s trade, artist-jeweler René Lalique emerged as a leading Parisian jeweler of the Belle Époque. Lalique’s innovative designs were in stark contrast to traditional conventions and attracted an elite clientele with modern, esoteric tastes. His designs in the Art Nouveau style are radical departures in concept, trading a traditional emphasis on precious materials for a unified design concept. Inspired by Japanese art, Lalique distilled the aesthetic essence of nature, from insects to the humblest plants, with keen observation. It is Lalique’s work in jewelry and his experimentation with cast glass that eventually led late in his life to his successful career as an artist and designer of architectural installations and glass objects. Demonstrating his transition from jewelry to his cast glass vessels, this chalice features opalescent glass blown into a silver armature with pinecone and pine branch decoration.Published ReferencesToledo Museum of Art, Toledo Museum of Art Masterworks, Toledo, 2009, p. 286, repr. (col.).Exhibition HistoryParis: City of Art, November 6, 2009 - March 14, 2010.