[Sharon]

Rene Lalique was born a rural 19th century man in a pre-industrialized Europe. It was a time before light bulbs, and telephones, before automobiles and washing machines and electricity. But by the time of his death in 1945 at the dawn of the atomic age, he would have completed two careers spanning two different centuries.

In 1900 at the age of 40, he was the most celebrated jeweler in the world and an art nouveau artist and designer of magnificent proportions. But by 1925 at the height of the art deco era he was the most celebrated glassmaker in the world.

In between Lalique would leave his contemporaries behind as he turned from creating unique jewelry and objects d'art, to the mass production of innovative and usable art glass. He brought glass into the home of everyday people where it had never been before, and he worked out the industrial techniques to mass produce his useful art glass objects on a scale and cost to complement the spreading industrial revolution and resulting worldwide appetite for his products.



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[Sharon]

Some pretty Lalique perfume bottles

[Sharon]

And check out this car mascot!

Likely a world record price for any Lalique Car Mascot at auction was achieved on Saturday November 26th 2011 in Chester Springs Pennsylvania. The unsigned R. Lalique Renard Hood Ornament appeared at Wiederseim Associates Inc. Auction House.



Because the rare mascot was not signed and was amongst hundreds of porcelain and other decorative foxes all out of the same house, it was understandably not catalogued as a period R. Lalique glass mascot. It was sold as part of Lot 515 (SHOWN ABOVE), with four other decorative foxes all for the single estimate of $100-$150.

An alert staffer spotted the above photo amongst the thousands of auction reports that pour into World Headquarters on a daily basis, and recognized the rare R.Lalique Renard (the French word for fox), likely the rarest and most valuable of all commercial Rene Lalique Car Mascot models.
Rene Lalique Fox Car Mascot - Renard

Much fuss was made in certain circles about the lack of signature on the great fox. But R. Lalique pieces are not authenticated by their signatures. They speak for themselves.

The auction house, having only two international capable phones, had to acquire additional phones for the worldwide bidding scramble that ensued upon our listing the fox here. U.S. phone bidders were also heard from, as were a couple of bidders in the room during the sale, including one well known long time dealer who personally inspected the fox before wading into the bidding.

The hammer finally came down at $204,750 (£128,548)

[Oswald2001]

I have always loved Lalique.

Superb.

Genius.

[Shakey]

[Faline]

Cool