Lalique France, Pair of Champagne Glasses with Angel, 1945

Champagne bucket by Jean Despres, France, circa 1950. Important hammered silver plated champagne bucket with cylindrical hammered body presenting two scrolled handles underlined with spheres and decorated at the top of the Jean Despres flat link chain. Incised signature "J.Després" under the base (see photo). A similar model is illustrated in the book "Jean Després, jeweler and goldsmith between Art Deco and modernity" by Melissa Gabardi, page 151, to Editions Norma (see photos). Jean Despres, born June 15, 1889 in Souvigny (Allier), and died in 1980 in Avallon (Yonne), is a French goldsmith, creator of jewelry, objects and furniture of Art Deco style, specializing in the work of the silver. Jean Despres was born into a descendant family of master glassmakers, Després de Loisy, and glaziers, Turlin. The family moved in Avallon in 1890 to open an articles of paintings and art store at no. 27 rue de Paris and then at no. 20 place Vauban. He attended school and college in Avallon without being a very bright student. His passion was cycling and competitions. He obtained his patent in 1905. His father placed him in apprenticeship with a friend, goldsmith in Paris in the Marais district. At the same time, he completed his training by following the drawing classes in the schools of the city of Paris and frequented the Bateau-Lavoir, where he met Amedeo Modigliani, Pablo Picasso, Paul Signac, Giorgio De Chirico, Marie Laurencin, Chaim Soutine, Maurice Utrillo and Georges Braque, whom will be his best friend. He is passionate about cubism. During World War I, Jean Despres was assigned as a draftsman mechanic in the workshops of the military aviation. This double experience will durably mark him and feed all his work. He participated in the Art Deco movement. He had many friends in the avant-garde of the time, such as Paul Jouve or Maurice de Vlaminck. In the 1920s and 1930s, he took over his parents' store in Avallon and set up his studio where he created motor jewelry, whose pure forms inspired by aeronautical mechanical parts were part of the avant-garde movement. Craftsman of metal, gold, silver, tin, Despres shaped material, invented new forms. Like his contemporaries Marcel Sandoz or Raymond Templier, he was one of those pioneers who renounce the codes of high jewelry and the use of precious stones. He participated, with the help of Paul Signac, in his first Salon des Indépendants in 1926. He also participated in the revival of the forms of goldsmithing by removing the classic ornaments, to create pieces with massive shapes, silver, pewter, usually silver metal, everyone recognizable by its hammered appearance. In 1935, he took care of the Art and Fashion Gallery at No. 39 rue du Colisée in Paris. In 1936, he married Simone Delattre, painter and decorator on embroidered fabrics. He was rewarded by the Aeroclub which awards him a gold medal in 1937. These works were beginning to be known abroad. The following year, he was named Knight of the Legion of Honor. He run his gallery and kept his studio in Avallon. In 1940, he was President of the Goldsmiths' Union, a professional delegate for artistic protection at the international jewelry-goldsmith's office. He was the goldsmith's rapporteur on the awards commission of the Society for the Promotion of Art and Industry. In 1943, he came to live on rue de La Trémoille in Paris, where he had a shop at the same address. Among his friends, he counted Pierre Vigoureux and frequented Jules Cavaillès, Worms, Peltier, Lalique, Robert and Sonia Delaunay, Fernand Léger and many others. He counted Josephine Baker among his famous clients. After the war, Jean Despres will expose several times, with the support of the State, in different foreign countries. In 1972, he offered the city of Avallon sixty-eight of his works. Exhibitions 1925: Museum of Decorative Arts in Paris, with Rose Adler and the painter Étienne Cournault 1925: International Exhibition of Decorative Arts 1926: Salon des indépendants 1928: Salon of the Societe Nationale des Beaux-Arts 1928: Salon des Artistes-Decorateurs 1930: Union des Artistes Modernes, at the Pavillon de Marsan, he exhibits surrealist jewelry...

Pair of French Art Deco vases by François-Théodore LEGRAS, France, 1920s. Pair of glass vases with enamelled decoration of two swans on each vase. Face to face decor. Measures: Each ...

Rare French Art Deco corkscrew, 1930. Corkscrew and bottle opener poodle. Noble woods. Glass eyes. Dimensions : 4.9 in.Hx6.3 in.Wx1.6 in.D ; 12.5 cmHx16 cmWx4 cmD

French Art Deco cocktail stirrers, France, 1930s. Bakelite, chrome and precious woods. 6 stirrers. Width : 24.5cm - 9.65", Height : 13.5cm - 5.3", Depth : 5cm - 2".

12 French Art Deco Chinese cocktail picks, France, 1930s. Chrome, wood and bakelite. 12 cocktail picks. Measures: Width : 15cm - 5.9", height : 13cm - 5.1", depth : 7cm - 2.75". Some...

French Art Deco cocktail stirrers, France, 1930s. Bakelite & precious woods. 12 bakelite stirrers. Measutres: width : 28.5cm - 11.2", height : 16cm - 6.3", depth : 4.7cm - 1.85".

Vintage footed drinking glasses crystal goblets, glassware. Elegant vintage midcentury crystal champagne footed glasses, silver rimmed...

Superb service of sixteen champagne glasses "Smile of the Angel" also titled "Angel of Reims" designed by Marc Lalique for the Lalique Maison. In very good condition. One glass with a small chip on the lip. Dimensions in cm (H x D): 20.4 x 7 Secure shipping. The Lalique Maison was created by René Lalique who was one of the greatest artists of his time, whether as a jeweler or master glassmaker. He marked the Art Nouveau and Art Deco periods with his unique style. Lalique is recognized as one of the most important jewelry designers and glass maker of the French Art Nouveau period, creating innovative pieces for Samuel Bing's new store in Paris, Maison de l'Art Nouveau. He began exhibiting his work under his own name as early as 1894, notably at the Salon des artistes français, 1897 and 1898. The great glassmaker Émile Gallé discovered him at the first one and praised him highly. His stand at the 1900 Universal Exhibition in Paris was a great success. While keeping sources of inspiration from the Art Nouveau woman, fauna and flora - including the peacock, various insects and sometimes a fantastic bestiary - he innovated by using materials barely used for jewelry at the time: glass, enamel, leather, horn, mother of pearl, often preferring semi-precious stones to precious stones. The introduction of volume in jewelry is facilitated by his knowledge in modeling. He designed his models, having them made by a team of chisellers, sculptors and enamellers that he carefully recruited. Many women from the nobility, the bourgeoisie and the entertainment world began to wear his extraordinary jewelry, such as the Marquise Arconati-Visconti, the Countess of Béarn, Madame Waldeck-Rousseau, and Sarah Bernhardt, for whom he created a stage costume in 1902 for the revival of the play Théodora at the Sarah-Bernhardt Theater. Lalique was the only modern artist whose client and friend Calouste Gulbenkian became. Gulbenkian acquired the famous Pectoral à la libellule (circa 1897-1898), a masterpiece much admired at the 1900 World's Fair, which he lent to the tragedienne Sarah Bernhardt. After the end of the First World War, Lalique's colorful and fantastic jewelry were no longer in fashion. The creator sensed this and decided to convert to the Art Deco style through glassware in 1920. Thus, the neo-classical and geometric Art Deco replaces Art Nouveau. According to Olivier Mauny, former CEO of Lalique, his creations paved the way for an industrialization of art objects, because one of the best ways to include luxury and aesthetics in everyday life is to make everyday objects. He will create many objects such as vases, cups, candlesticks, perfume bottles, radiator caps for the Citroën 5CV (1925), decorations for the restaurant cars of the Côte d'Azur Pullman Express (1929), decorations for the dining room of the first class of the Normandie liner...

Acid stamp for St. Louis in the 'Thistle' pattern comprising sixteen wine glasses and 14 champagne flutes.

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