Corsage Brooch with Grasshoppers and Cabochons designed by René Lalique (1860-1945), Paris. 1920-1929. Molded glass, silver, diamonds, 3 3/4 in. (9.53 cm) (l.) approx. [Click on photograph to enlarge it.] Collection: Walters Art Museum, which permits use of text and image under the Creative Commons License.
“Before devoting himself to glass, Lalique was an important jewelry designer. Combining such materials as ivory, horn, glass, and semiprecious stones, all chosen for their visual appeal, with gold and diamonds, he created flamboyant masterpieces of Art Nouveau jewelry. In 1909, Lalique rented a glass factory at Combes-la-Ville, near Paris, where he made perfume bottles. The following year, he acquired another factory in Alsace, which he used for the mass-production of glass using a press-molding technique. Working in a balanced, highly stylized manner that anticipated the Art Deco movement of the 1920s, Lalique designed a diverse range of products that included car hood ornaments, lamps, bottles, vases, ashtrays, and room fittings, as well as jewelry.” (Walters site).
Bibliography
“Corsage Brooch with Grasshoppers and Cabochons” Walters Art Museum. Web. 8 November 2011. [Note: search by accession number — 47.728 — to locate item.]
8 November 2011