Five reasons to visit the Lalique Museum

By Sandrine Merle
Part of the "Jewelry Collections of the World" series, in partnership between L'ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts and The French Jewelry Post

Musée Lalique (c) David Desaleux

Five reasons to visit the Lalique Museum

Located in the Vosges, this museum highlights the glass work of René Lalique through 650 objects from the 1890s to today. Plus some beautiful jewels that alone are worth the trip.

Pansy dog necklace, Lalique Museum deposit, Shai Bandmann and Ronald Ooi collection

“Pansy” dog collar in gold, diamonds, enamel, pearls – Circa 1902-1904 Lalique Museum collection. Courtesy of Shai Bandmann and Ronald Ooi

© Studio Y. Langlois

1. The only Lalique museum in Europe

Opened in 2011, this public museum dedicated to the master of Art Nouveau is located in a region with a rich glass-making history. It was in the village of Wingen-sur-Moder that the versatile artist established his manufacturing workshop in 1921. While the collection is organized chronologically and focuses on his glass works, there are also around sixty magnificent pieces of jewelry.

Ornement de corsage Papillons de nuit, dépôt musée Lalique collection Shai bandmann et Ronald Ooi, (c) Studio Y Langlois.jpg

"Night Butterflies" corsage pendant-ornament in gold, brilliants, enamel and glass - Circa 1906-1907 Lalique Museum Collection. Courtesy of Shai Bandmann and Ronald Ooi

© Studio Y Langlois

2. "The inventor of modern jewelry"

The jewelry, gathered in the first room, serves as a great introduction and helps to understand why René Lalique was "the inventor of modern jewelry". In the late 19th century, this jeweler revolutionized the codes of traditional jewelry by abandoning precious stones in favor of the expressive power of ivory, horn, and especially translucent enamel, his favorite material. Everything was new, including his inspirations: women hybridized with butterflies, fleeting sensations observed in nature, the flora from seed to withering, as well as more unsettling fauna such as wasps, bats, etc. René Lalique established himself as THE jeweler of Art Nouveau.

Ornement de corsage Vol d'hirondelles, dépôt musée Lalique, collection Shai bandmann et Ronald Ooi, (c) Rami Solomon & Kineret Levy Studio, Israel.jpg

Bodice ornament composed of 5 swallows in gold, silver, diamond, ruby ​​- Circa 1866-1867 Lalique Museum Collection. Courtesy of Shai Bandmann and Ronald Ooi

© Rami Solomon & Kineret Levy Studio, Israel

3. Pieces emblematic of his creative genius

The museum houses iconic pieces that are referenced in books and international exhibitions, such as the corsage front made up of five swallows (one of Lalique's first pieces of jewelry). It is the only museum to boast a remarkable series of dog collars formed by spectacular enameled plates. And then there are the night butterfly brooches, glorious creations in blue-grey glass, or the "The Faun's Kiss" bracelet in bright green glass. "René Lalique had a predilection for this material which enabled him to work in volume to obtain mini sculptures and fantastic plays of light. The effect is incomparable: the figures come out of the frame and come to life," explains Véronique Brumm Schaich, the museum's director.

Study for an Egyptian pectoral with open wings, Musée Lalique collection

Drawing for an Egyptian pectoral "Beetle with open wings" - Circa 1898? - Indian ink, watercolor. Lalique Museum Collection.

4. Spend some time in the drawing study...

...to examine the twenty original preparatory studies and drawings, which are renewed every 6 months. Remember that René Lalique excelled in technique (he filed many patents) as well as in illustration: he started by drawing models for all the great jewelers such as Chaumet or Boucheron. Enlarged projections of his studies make it possible to make out, among the pencil strokes, instructions intended for the workshop concerning the cutting and setting of a stone, the color of the enamel, etc.

Set of tiara bottles, Benjamin Gastaud Collection (c) Karine Faby

Tiara bottles in blown-molded glass

© Karine Faby

5. René Lalique's glasswork

This museum enables the jewelry pieces to be placed in the context of an oeuvre that was subsequently entirely devoted to glass. In 1912, he stopped creating necklaces, bracelets, and combs. The collection of perfume bottles, showcasing his technical virtuosity and eternal inspirations, is impressive. Don't miss the tiare bottle caps, an allusion to his first job! That is followed by a profusion of vases, tableware, cups, and Art Deco lighting fixtures. He even created sacred art. "The inventor of modern jewelry" became a "poet of glass." In 1945, the material became scarce; René Lalique passed away, and his son Marc took the path of crystal, the focus of the final room, to prepare for its entry into the 21st century.

 

Broche Cléopâtre, dépôt musée Lalique, collection Shai bandmann et Ronald Ooi, (c) Rami Solomon & Kineret Levy Studio, Israel.jpg

"Cleopatra" brooch in gold, enamel, diamond - Circa 1897-1899 Lalique Museum Collection. Courtesy of Shai Bandmann and Ronald Ooi

© Rami Solomon & Kineret Levy Studio, Israel
Hawthorn dog collar with purple beads, Shai Bandmann and Ronald Ooi Collection

"Hawthorn" dog collar in gold, enamel and pearls - Circa 1902-1904 Lalique Museum Collection. Courtesy of Shai Bandmann and Ronald Ooi

© Studio Y. Langlois
Portrait René Lalique gift Nicole Maritch recto

Portrait of René Lalique

© Nicole Maritch 
Musée Lalique

Gallery dedicated to the collection of perfume bottles

Wasps and Ivory Prunus Pendant, Shai Bandmann and Ronald Ooi Collection. © Studio Y.Langlois.PNG

“Wasps and Prunus” pendant in gold and artificial ivory – Circa 1904 Lalique Museum Collection. Courtesy of Shai Bandmann and Ronald Ooi

© Studio Y. Langlois
Musée Lalique (c) David Desaleux

Lalique Museum

© David Desaleux
Dancing Nymphs and Bats brooch, Lalique Museum deposit, Shai Bandmann and Ronald Ooi collection, (c) Studio Paquebot

“Dancing Nymphs and Bats” brooch in artificial ivory, gold and enamel – Vers 1902-1903 Lalique Museum Collection. Courtesy of Shai Bandmann and Ronald Ooi

© Studio Paquebot
Musée Lalique garden.

Lalique Museum garden

© David Desaleux
Rising sun comb, Lalique museum deposit, Shai bandmann and Ronald Ooi collection

« Paysage Soleil Levant » comb in gold, horn, enamel - circa 1900 Lalique Museum Collection. Deposit Shai Bandmann and Ronald Ooi

© Shuxiu Lin, Israel

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Musée Lalique (c) David Desaleux

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© David Desaleux

The Lalique Museum, the artist’s glass universe

This museum, located in Wingen-sur-Moder, in the heart of the Northern Vosges – a region with a rich glassmaking tradition – gives visitors a rich insight into the growing importance of glass in the work of René Lalique. In fact, at the height of his career, he even abandoned jewelry-making altogether.

By Sandrine Merle.

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