Object of the Month - Ceylan vase by René Lalique
1st March 2025
With Spring on its way, our Object of the Month is this elegant 'Ceylan' no 905 Lalique opalescent glass vase with beautifully moulded birds and blue staining. This vase forms part of a private collection of Lalique glass of thirty pieces included in the upcoming Art Deco Centenary 1925-2025 & Design sale on 19th & 20th March 2025.
The desire to “create something that had never been seen before” saw René Lalique (1860-1945) forge a career that successfully spanned movements from the late 19th and early 20th century, with pinnacles of his career marked by two momentous Paris exhibitions in 1900 and 1925.
At the end of the 19th century, Lalique had revolutionised the jewellery styles of the period. His virtuosity in producing Art Nouveau pieces earned him the accolade, ‘inventor of modern jewellery’ and his glittering stand at the 1900 Paris Exposition Universelle earned him the Légion d'Honneur award.
Lalique’s jewellery designs often employed enamel and glass alongside precious stones and metals but after 1900 the designer began to make the transition toward working more exclusively with glass. In 1905, Lalique formed a key partnership with French perfumer, Francois Coty, to produce affordable perfumes in attractive bottles that revolutionised the industry. His techniques with glass gave rise to a style that was essentially expressed through the contrast between clear and frosted glass, sometimes adding a patina or enamel or using stained glass.
By 1922, with supply outstripping demand, René Lalique founded the Verrerie d’Alsace glassworks at Wingen-sur-Moder in Alsace. The region had a strong and historic glassmaking tradition and his factory employed around 50 glassmakers, cutters and engravers.
A century ago, the 1925 Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes in Paris defined a change in fashion that saw Art Nouveau designs replaced by geometric shapes and the embracing of new luxurious materials that were products of a mechanised, ‘modern’ age. Entrants to the vast exhibition were required to ‘show genuine originality and a modern spirit’. René Lalique’s contribution was one of the highlights of the exhibition, a fifteen-meter-high illuminated fountain named ‘Les sources de France’.
Lots 117-146 carry various estimates ranging from £150-£200 to £4,000-£6,000 (before fees).
