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René Lalique Art Nouveau 18K Gold, Enamel and Seed Pearl "Collier de chien" Necklace
$150,000
Dating from circa 1898, this rose branch plaque "collier de chien" necklace by René Lalique is composed of 18K gold, basse taille enamel, and seed pearls. The necklace centers a rectangular, slightly convex, pierced 18K gold plaque depicting a flowering and budding branch of roses sculpted in high relief,elaborately carved and chased front and reverse, with basse taille enamel leaves, completed by a multi-strand necklace of pearls. Extolled as a model of "jewel statuary" by an influential critic in Art et Décoration in 1899, this beautiful rose necklace is a forerunner of Lalique's revolutionary work that was to astonish the art world at the Paris Exposition of 1900.
- Product Details
- Curator's Notes
Item #: N-21368
Artist: René Lalique
Country: France
Circa: 1898
Dimensions: 13.50" length.
Materials: Seed pearls; Enamel; 18K Gold
Signed: LALIQUE
Exhibition History: This jewel appears in contemporary literature as having been exhibited at one of Paris Salons, as published in 1899.
Literature: A "collar ornament" of this design features in "René Lalique 1890-1910, Schmuck und Objets-d'Art", the catalogue raisonné by Sigrid Barten, p. 225. It was illustrated in Art et Décoration, in the article "Les Maitres Décorateurs Français René Lalique", July 1899, by Roger Marx, p. 21. It also appears in The Paris Salons, 1895-1914- Jewellery II, The Designers L-Z, by Alistair Duncan, p. 33.
One of the most magnificent aspects of this necklace is the exquisite chasing of the rose blossom, buds and branch. In this period, when his studio was still located in the rue Therèse, Lalique collaborated closely with the workshop of Georges-Pierre Deraisme (1865- after 1930), an outstanding artisan and master "ciseleur." Deraisme, together with his foreman Thiénot and twenty employees, carried out the important work of the chasing precious metals, a technique critical to the realization of Lalique's sculptural gold jewelry in this period. Lalique's triumphs at the 1896 Paris Salon and at the Brussels Exposition Universelle, which earned him a Grand Prix, had expanded his clientele and commissions to the extent that he and his associates could barely cope with the work. Deraisme's name appears frequently in Lalique's design drawings, often accompanied by demands for urgent work to be completed over the weekend, even on Sundays. Their collaboration continued until 1908. When the art critic Roger Marx commented on this necklace upon seeing it exhibited the Paris Salon, he commended its sculptural suppleness, commenting that the gold retained a free, vibrant, delicate quality, displaying "the fullness and ductility of lovingly-kneaded wax." (As translated from Roger Marx's article "Les Maitres Décorateurs Français: René Lalique", in the periodical "Art et Decoration", 1899, v.2, p. 19.)