René Jules Lalique

French, 1860-1945

BiographyFrench artist-jeweler René Lalique (1860–1945) emerged as a leading jeweler of the Belle Époque—the glittering era of peace and prosperity that marked the period between the end of the Franco-Prussian War (1871) and the beginning of World War I (1914). Lalique's work in jewelry and his experimentation with cast glass eventually led later in
his life to his successful career as an artist and designer of architectural installations and glass objects.

Lalique experimented early on with the lost wax casting technique, sometimes marking the molds of his creations with his own thumbprint. His innovative work caught the attention of leading French fragrance manufacturers, who commissioned him to create a line of glass perfume bottles, which he began producing in 1909. In 1918 he began to manufacture high quality, mass-produced mold-blown and press-molded art glass that appealed to a broader market, including such items as vases and car radiator ornaments. By 1929, he had established a reputation as an artistic leader of glass in the Art Deco style.

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