Rene Lalique11 Hair ornaments2

2. René Lalique (French, 1860 - 1945) Two coloured willow tiara Horn, mother-of-pearl, enamel and topaz, circa 1903

3. René Jules Lalique Recognized as one of the greatest jewelry (and glass) designers in the world, René Lalique was an artist full of imagination and creativity. He contributed significantly to the Art Nouveau movement, and was innovative in his designs and the materials he used. Art Nouveau jewelers like Lalique distanced themselves from conventional precious stones and put greater emphasis on the subtle effects of materials such as glass, horn and enamel. Lalique chose his materials for aesthetic effect and artistic refinement, not for mere preciousness or brilliance. Credited with introducing horn into the jewelry repertoire in 1896, Lalique mainly used buffalo horn from India or South America, which was flexible and could be pressed or twisted under heat, and also dyed. With colors ranging from almost colorless to deep rich browns, horn can be carved and formed easily and has been prized for centuries. Lalique sculpted horn in the shape of flowers, waves, trees, butterflies, birds and more for his hair combs, diadems and other hair ornaments. He also inserted colored enamel into the spaces, using the cloisonné technique. Lalique dazzled the public with his designs and many of his hair combs are considered masterpieces, residing in museums around the world. (French, 1860 - 1945)

4. Hair comb, Decorative arts in the Muséed'Orsay Comb Purple Violets 12.5 cm high

6. René Lalique (French, 1860 - 1945) Drawing watercolor with gouache

7. Ornamental Comb, c. 1902 The flowers have diamond centers Three medallions and thistles comb

8. Lalique made preliminary drawings and studies for all of his pieces. He was a very fine draftsman, as is evidenced in his drawings. While studying at the Lycée Turgot in the outskirts of Paris, he received his first award for drawing, at the age of 12

9. It is from the Japanese repertoire, revealed to the Western world on the occasion of the Universal Exhibition in Paris in 1867, that Art Nouveau borrows its floral motifs From June 23 to Nov 25 2007, The Lalique Museum in Hakone Japan had a Special Exhibition: The Charm of Hair Ornaments – Lalique’s Combs and Japanese Traditional Kushi.” Willowcomb/Branche de Saule 6.3 cm high by 12.4 cm long carved horn, enamel, and gold willow branch motif € 30,000

10. Art nouveau enamel and horn tiara sold at Christie’s in 2019 for $50,000 French Art Nouveau was a combination of the Japanese aesthetic, where perspective was executed precisely, and French Symbolism, which elongated things to express a poetic idea

11. Comb Peigne Ombelles Musée Lalique, Wingen-sur-Moder

12. Art nouveau dragonflies haircomb Leopoldmuseum Vienna Art nouveau grasshoppers haircomb Ivory & Gold Peacock comb, 1904-1905 - Hessian State Museum, Vienna

13. Museum of Applied Arts, Budapest

14. Tiara Berries and Leaves horn and glass, sold for $35,850 at Sotheby's Norway Maple Seeds Hair Comb Circa 1900

15. Art nouveau haircomb Tree Branches

16. Pepper Tree branch haircomb, c. 1903-04 Horn and mother-of-pearl René Lalique collection in the Calouste Gulbenkian museum

17. Six Dragonflies Comb, 1900 sold at Sotheby’s on 18 May 2018 for $262,269 Thishair comb had a chain fitting so it could be worn as a necklace

18. Branche de PommierDiadème, 1901-1902 René Lalique collection in the Calouste Gulbenkian museum

19. Branche de PommierDiadème, 1901-1902 René Lalique collection in the Calouste Gulbenkian museum

20. WisteriaComb, 1903-1904 Horn, enamel, gold and glass René Lalique collection in the Calouste Gulbenkian museum

21. Anemones Haircomb c. 1900 Horn, gold and enamel René Lalique collection in the Calouste Gulbenkian museum

23. Jewelry comb wood anemone, 1900- Hamburg Art Museum Anemones Haircomb c. 1900 Horn, gold and enamel René Lalique collection in the Calouste Gulbenkian museum

24. Deux épingles à cheveux: Berce Musée d'Orsay, Paris

25. The keen interest shown in hairpins and combs in the late nineteenth century can be explained in various ways. From the Second Empire, the craze for Spain brought the traditional tortoiseshell comb into fashion. Then the Japanese vogue introduced the West to chased metal and lacquered wooden combs, as well as long hair pins turned into real ornaments. Moreover, with the fashion for chignons, combs and hair pins became indispensable. Jewellers then seized on these objects as a pretext for their inventiveness. René Lalique was a master in the creation of refined ornaments. He judged the value of a piece of jewellery not by the richness of its materials, but purely on its artistic content. He was fascinated by the possibilities of horn—considered 'obscure and shameful'—and used it as a substitute for the traditional, luxurious tortoiseshell. The way the horn has been treated in these hairpins is typical of Lalique's talent as a designer and skill as a craftsman. The remarkably carved pale horn suggests the millefiori aspect of the flower head. The tiny diamonds catch the light and translate the shimmering of the inflorescence. The gold imitates the stiff stems and the involucres. Deux épingles à cheveux: Berce Musée d'Orsay, Paris corne sculptée, or et diamants, H. 21,5 ; L. 8,5 cm.

26. Hair comb in the shape of two Viburnum branches Rijksmuseum Amsterdam

27. Hydrangeas hair grip c. 1902-1903 Horn, gold, enamel and diamonds René Lalique collection in the Calouste Gulbenkian museum

28. Hydrangeas hair grip c. 1902-1903

29. Peigne Muguet Hair Ornament Horn with enamel and gold Cleveland Museum of Art

31. Peigne Muguet Hair Ornament Corne blonde, or, émail opaque sur or Le Musée des Arts décoratifs de Paris

32. Comb Orange Sun Landscape Le musée Lalique (Wingen-sur-Moder, France)

33. Comb orange sun landscape Soldat Christie’s in 2009 for $92,500

34. Peigne Deux paons Le Musée des Arts décoratifs de Paris Hazel Branch diadem René Lalique collection in the Calouste Gulbenkian museum

35. Hazel Branch diadem René Lalique collection in the Calouste Gulbenkian museum

36. Tiara comb Victoria & Albert Museum

37. Tiara comb Victoria & Albert Museum

38. Drone and Umbels Hair comb, 1900 Horn, enamel, gold and silver René Lalique collection in the Calouste Gulbenkian museum

39. Drone and Umbels Hair comb, 1900 Horn, enamel, gold and silver René Lalique collection in the Calouste Gulbenkian museum

40. Drone and Umbels Hair comb, 1900 Horn, enamel, gold and silver René Lalique collection in the Calouste Gulbenkian museum Hair comb, 1900 Celluloid with gold, enamel and diamonds Minneapolis Institute of Art

41. Cattleya Orchid Diadem, 1903-1904 Carved ivory, horn, gold, enamel on gold, diamonds. Private collection

42. Cattleya Orchid Diadem, 1903-1904 Carved ivory, horn, gold, enamel on gold, diamonds Private collection Around the turn of the century, Lalique created a number of ivory orchid hair combs which attest to his complete mastery of the material

43. Cattleya Orchid comb The orchid flower is carved from a single piece of ivory The Walters Art museum

44. Cattleya Orchid comb The Walters Art museum

45. Cattleya Orchid comb The Walters Art Museum Baltimore, Maryland In the 19th Century, a passion for tropical orchids overtook Europe and people became practically manic in their interest which drove prices to incredible heights. Missions were sent to the tropics for collecting orchids to satisfy this passion for exotic plants. Lalique’s ability to immortalize the delicate orchid in ivory must have been mesmerizing.

46. Hair ornament Sainsbury Centre, University of East Anglia, Norwich, Norfolk Cattleya Orchid comb The Walters Art museum

49. Diadema «Orquídeas» Two orchids in horn and one in ivory, while a small drop-shaped topaz appears in the centre of the ivory flower. The three-pronged comb is also in horn and connected to the diadem by a gold hinge René Lalique collection in the Calouste Gulbenkian museum

50. Diadema «Orquídeas» c. 1903–4 René Lalique collection in the Calouste Gulbenkian museum