Lalique, "Smile of the Angel" Champagne Glasses (16), France 1980
By Marc Lalique
Located in PARIS, FR
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...
Vintage 1980s French Art Deco Glass
Crystal
