Art Nouveau Medusa Brooch by René Lalique - Glass & Brass

The career of the famed jewelry designer, glassmaker and decorative artist René Lalique spanned decades and artistic styles. Best known today for his works in glass, Lalique first won recognition for his jewelry. He was described as the inventor of modern jewelry by the French artist and designer Émile Gallé, and his luxurious naturalistic designs helped define the Art Nouveau movement. Later as a glassmaker in the 1920s and ‘30s, Lalique designed vases, clocks, chandeliers and even car hood ornaments that were the essence of Art Deco chic. Even now, the name Lalique continues to be a byword for a graceful, gracious and distinctively French brand of sophistication.

Born in 1860 in the Marne region of France, Lalique began his career as a jewelry designer in the last decades of the 19th century. His work employed now-classic Art Nouveau themes and motifs: flowing, organic lines; forms based on animals, insects and flowers — all rendered in luxurious materials such as ivory, enamel, gold and semi-precious stones. By 1905, Lalique had begun creating works in glass, and his style began to shift to a cleaner, sharper, smoother, more modern approach suited to his new medium. His Paris shop’s proximity to perfumer François Coty’s led him to experiment with beautiful perfume bottles. He offered the first customized scent bottles, transforming the perfume industry. By the end of the First World War, the artist had fully embraced Art Deco modernity, devoting himself to new industrial techniques of glass production and designs that manifest the sweeping lines and the forms suggestive of speed and movement characteristic of the style. Lalique’s work looked both backward and forward in time: embracing ancient mythological themes even as it celebrated modern progress.

Late in his career, Lalique took on high profile luxury interior design projects in Paris, Tokyo and elsewhere. He designed decorative fixtures and lighting for the interior of the luxury liner Normandie in 1935, and decorated the salons of well-known fashion designer Madeleine Vionnet. Today, Lalique’s influence is as relevant as it was when he opened his first jewelry shop in 1890. In a modern or even a traditional décor, as you will see from the objects offered on these pages, the work of René Lalique provides the stamp of savoir-faire.

Lalique is a beacon of French opulence in glassmaking and decorative arts, an enduring brand with a history spanning over 130 years and at least three movements in art and design: Art Nouveau, Art Deco and modernism. The firm’s founder, René Lalique, is a celebrated figure in Art Nouveau jewelry, which drew on feminine forms and natural-world themes. Under his masterful leadership, Lalique came to be known for its gorgeous vases, sculptures and glass and crystal serveware.

Rene Laliqué was born in 1860 in Aÿ-en-Champagne, France. As a young man, he apprenticed under Parisian Art Nouveau jeweler Louis Aucoc and studied at L'École nationale supérieure des Arts Décoratifs. Lalique's skill and esteem broadened, and he created jewelry for renowned houses like Cartier and Boucheron. He took over a workshop in Paris in 1885 and opened his own business soon afterward. Not one to follow trends, Lalique gained popularity for his innovative accessories, which merged glass, enamel and ivory — materials that were uncommon in jewelry-making — with semi-precious stones and metals. Lalique’s work gained greater prominence at the 1900 Paris Exhibition, which served as a showcase for his extraordinary designs.

In 1907, Lalique began a revolutionary partnership with French perfumer François Coty. He designed a line of molded glass perfume bottles with frosted surfaces and patterned reliefs. Lalique opened his eponymous glassworks in Combs-La-Ville, Paris, in 1909. His attractive bottles and other pieces were shown at the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts in 1925 — the event that brought Art Deco to worldwide attention — catapulting Lalique to new levels of fame. Shortly afterward, in 1927, he created one of his most iconic pieces: the Bacchantes vase. A marvel of glassmaking that convincingly depicted movement, the vase displays his technical skills and artistry.

Lalique began receiving high-profile commissions — in 1929, he decorated the luxurious Côte d’Azur Pullman Express carriages, and in 1935, he designed lighting for the Grand Salon and dining room on the ocean liner SS Normandie.

Lalique died in 1945, and the reins at the company were passed to his son, Marc Lalique. The firm continued to produce its signature glass pieces as well as crystal vases, decor and serveware. Marc's daughter, Marie-Claude Lalique, became CEO in 1977. She renewed the traditional jewelry and fragrance side of the business. In 2008, Lalique was acquired by Art & Fragrance, now known as Lalique Group. It remains a well-regarded lifestyle brand underpinned by a rich history in glassmaking.

On 1stDibs, find vintage Lalique decorative objects, lighting, tables and more.