Vintage Design
René Lalique (1860–1945) began his career as a jewellery apprentice at the age of 16, and by 1881 he was a freelance designer for many of the best-known Parisian jewellers.[2] In 1885, he opened his own workshop on Place Gaillon in Paris,[3] the former workshop of Jules Destape.[2] In 1887, Lalique opened a business on Rue du Quatre-Septembre, and registered the "RL" mark the following year.[3] In 1890, he opened a shop in the Opera District of Paris.[2] Within a decade, Lalique was amongst the best-known Parisian jewellers.[2][3]
In 1905, Lalique opened a new shop at Place Vendôme which exhibited not only jewellery, but glass works as well.[2][3] It was close to the shop of renowned perfumer François Coty; in 1907, Lalique began producing ornate perfume bottles for Coty.[2][3] The production of glass objects began at his country villa in 1902, and continued there until at least 1912.[2] The first Lalique glassworks opened in 1909 in a rented facility in Combs-la-Ville, which Lalique later purchased in 1913.[2] In December 1912, Lalique hosted an exhibition of Lalique Glass—as his glass would come to be known—at the Place Vendôme shop.[2] During the First World War, the glassworks produced mundane items in support of the war effort.[2] In 1919, work began on a new production facility in Wingen-sur-Moder, which opened in 1921.[2][3] From 1925 to 1931, Lalique produced 29 models of hood ornaments; a mermaid statuette first produced in 1920 was also later sold as a hood ornament.[2] During the 1920s and 1930s, Lalique was amongst the world's most renowned glassmakers.[4]
René Lalique died in 1945.[4] His son Marc Lalique took over the business, operating initially as "M.Lalique" and later as "Cristal Lalique".[2] Under Marc's leadership, the company transitioned from producing its famous Lalique Glass to producing lead glass, commonly known as crystal.[2] Marie-Claude Lalique took control of the company following Marc's death in 1977. It was sold to Pochet in 1994 and to a partnership of Art & Fragrance and the holding company Financière Saint-Germain in 2008. Since 2010, Cristal Lalique has been wholly owned by Art & Fragrance.[2]. Art & Fragrance is ultimately owned by Silvio Benz, an entrepreneur and Swiss national.