Lalique Car Mascots Preface. My first encounter with the glass of Rene Lalique occurred in 1971 whilst in the employ of an antique firm operating in my native North East Lancashire. The items in question were a set of six shell design dessert bowls with matching under-plates , which I later discovered were retailed in pre-war years under the title of ‘Coquilles’. Although the design of an open cockle shell was novel what intrigued me most of all was the curious internal milky blue opalescent manifestation restricted to the four areas of the underside that formed shallow supports. Four years later I made the quantum leap and headed south to take up the humble position of porter in the ceramics department of what was then the family run auction house of Bonhams located in London’s ever fashionable Knightsbridge. With the passage of time I managed to move up the ladder although my years as a porter were to prove of equal importance by virtue of handling the goods on offer plus no end, and welcome, contact with both dealers and collectors. In 1980 I had become responsible for a department that dealt with Art Nouveau and Art Deco and was offered the opportunity of selling a collection that numbered some fifty or more pieces of pre-war Lalique glass. The quality of the design work proved to be both totally captivating whilst unashamedly tactile – many of his creations commanding your visual appreciation then prompting an urge to handle, needless to say, with care. In the years that followed my department developed an international reputation for specialised sales dedicated to the glass and occasionally jewellery of Rene Lalique. I soon learned that Rene Lalique was responsible for designing thirty individual car mascots, although only twenty nine made it into production, and fortunately many found their way into the Bonhams sale catalogues.
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.