Rene Lalique was born in Ay in Marne,France was one of those people who just couldn't stop drawing and painting. Rene loved Nature - he spent most of his spare time drawing and painting flowers and plants,lizards ,snakes,leaves - in fact anything in Nature with a pattern.

He actually began his working life as an apprentice to Paris Jeweler Louis Aucos. Rene then studied at the Ecole des Arts Decoratif.

Rene knew even then that he wanted to be the best Jeweler and Glassmaker in the World.

The 19th Century was an exciting time for anyone in the Artistic Fields. The Arts and Crafts movement was alive and kicking and had revolutionised Art and Crafts of all kinds. It was a time of incredible changes in design and a kicking over the traces in Art.

After spending 2 years in London and being strongly influenced by such things as the Victorian Exhibions where all the latest in Design,Furniture and Art were displayed,

he returned to Paris and studied Sculpture under Justin Lequien at the Ecole Bernard Palissy. Now Palissy was known for exciting pottery that had relief decorations of realy realistic nature subjects (which Rene loved). The influence of the Palissy School shows up later in the superb Lalique Glassware with the moulded opalescent glass featuring fantastic collections of wildlife that Lalique is famous for.

To begin his career,Rene concentrated on designing and making really high quality jewellery and he is of course equally famous for the beautiful Atrt Nouveau Jewelery we know so well.

He sold his jewelery to major Jewelry House in Paris like Cartier,Boucheron and Aucoc. As his work usually included diamonds,gold and a very strong design these became much sought after by the Aristocracy of France.His early Jewelry pieces feature gold silver and precious stones and are still avidly sought by collectors. lots of his early pieces were of insects and were so realistic that many people were shocked by them.

Rene Lalique however wanted to bring his talents to a wider audience and to that end he started experimenting with glass and less expensive metals and semi-precious stones.

Fame came to Rene after he was taken up by the Actress Sahah Bernhardt who was one of the leaders of Paris Fashion and this brought him an International reputation.After growing his jewellery business he enjoyed the Royal Patronage of Queen Alexander who had already been a leader of British Fashion when she was Princess of Wales. Everyone wanted Lalique Jewelry.

Rene's work was then copied ... wholesale. He turned to glass making and produced a stunning range of scent bottles for the Coty company.

He had been making glass using the lost wax method (Cire Perdue) and it it those early glass pieces that are the ultimate desire of many glass collectors.

Because every piece produced by the lost wax method is quite unique the production rate was very small.

Lalique started making moulded glass and this with his wonderfully original designs make him a superstar in the field of glassmaking.

All of his earlier design skill came out into the field of glassmaking into really amazing pieces of glass including light fittings and chandeliers, more perfume bottles of unmistakeably art nouveau form .All the major perfumiers vied to get lalique to make their scent bottles. Many of these early examples are highly collectible.

Lalique went on to make beautiful Glass pendants and boxes, motor car mascots and vases.

The insects and animals that adorn his glass are sometimes disturbing but always lovely. Lalique was not a designer of simplistic objects but brought in a flowing form that beautified his pieces.

After the 1914 War Women were more emancipated and having worked during that war now began to to be more demanding in their jewelry and glassware.

A new age began - Art Deco - and Rene Lalique was at the forefront of that movement.

He was best known at that time for his incredible motor car mascots - especially the amzing Victoire - a Winged head symbolising speed. This is the most collectible car mascot.

Pendants,more car mascots and very saucy but refined nudes appeared from the Lalique production line and the public snapped them up.Vases with new finishes,ceiling and desk lams with designs of leaves and geometrical patterns emerged all to satify the demands of the 1920's themes.

Rene produced over 200 vases all with unique designs and without copying his earlier pieces.

Every single piece was designed and the original made by Rene himself.

He then went on to make a much more commercial range of moulded products includin all of his previous products ad branching out into architectural products like friezes,wall panels and even ceiling tiles. These of course complemented his range of chandeliers and table lamps.

A series of stunning statuettes and vases and plaques followed with moulded reliefs (again many featuring sinuous nudes).

Another series featured mermaids,water nymphs and wood nymphs.

These not only looked good because of the combination of design,frosted or opalescent sculptured glass but actually felt good because of the tactile nature of the frosted glass.

Lalique made fountains,wall panels in Paris,New York and London (above the lift at Claridge's Hotel in London is a stunning example) and even furnished a whole church at St Matthews Millbrook in Jersey.

The Lalique Company is still in business today and produces a wide range of beautiful products some of which are made from earlier moulds but still in Cristal Glass.

It has recently changed hand to a Swiss Company that specialises in Art & Perfume so that is a delightful combination.