Lalique. France, second half of the 20th century.
Two ashtrays, model "Rapace" and "Colombe", original model ca. 1940.
In translucent glass at the base, with satin-finished sculptures (a dove and a bird of prey).
Signed R. Lalique on the reverse.
Work reproduced in "Le Catalogue Raisonné del L'Ouvre en Verre de R. Lalique", by Felix Marcilhac, Les Editions de l'Amateur, pg. 280-281, num. 320 and 323.
Provenance: Private collection, Spain between 1970-1990.
Size: 6 x 10 x 10 cm. (the largest).
The firm Lalique was originally founded by René Jules Lalique (1860 - 1945), one of the most prominent glassmakers of the time, and one of the first to sculpt glass for large monumental works, such as the fountains on the Champs Elysées. He enjoyed great renown for his original creations of jewellery, perfume bottles, glasses, plates, etc., in the Art Nouveau and Art Deco styles. He trained with the Parisian jeweller Louis Aucoq, and then continued his studies at Sudenham Art College in London. The excellence of his creations and the taste he applied to his work earned him important commissions for the interior decoration of ships, trains such as the Orient Express, churches such as Saint-Nicasius in Reims, and numerous religious and civil goldsmiths' works. Lalique was not content with simply designing his models, but also founded a factory to produce them in large quantities, patenting several innovative glass manufacturing processes, and various technical effects such as "Lalique satin" or opalescent glass. Pieces by Lalique are preserved in prominent museums such as the Corning Museum of Glass and the Metropolitan Museum of Glass in New York, the Louvre and the Orsay Museum in Paris, among many others.