Marc LALIQUE (Paris, France, 1900 - 1977).
Two lighters "Tokyo" and "Lion's head". France, ca. 1950.
Moulded glass.
Signed on the reverse of the base Lalique-France.
Provenance: Private collection, Spain between 1970-1990.
Measurements: 11.5 cm (greater height); 10 cm (greater diameter).
Two lighters in translucent glass, one of them partially satin-finished, one decorated with lion heads and the other with circular geometric decorations. Mechanisms of the Ronson lighters.
Marc Lalique was born in 1900 in Paris, the son of René Lalique and Alice Ledru and brother of Suzanne Lalique-Haviland. He was responsible for the transition from glass to crystal in the early 1950s. After studying at the Ecole des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, Marc Lalique joined his father in the family business in 1922. He was a highly skilled technician and frequently visited the factory in Wingen-sur-Moder to supervise new production techniques. On his father's death in 1945, Marc took over the helm. His technical inclination and knowledge led him to renovate and modernise the Wingen-sur-Moder factory, and Lalique quickly became one of the best glass manufacturers, not only in France but worldwide. The contrast between pure transparency and satin sheen became Lalique's hallmark, at home and abroad. Marc Lalique's most famous pieces include the Angel glass, inspired by the Smiling Angel in Reims Cathedral, a reference to the Lalique family's origins in the Champagne region, and the famous L'Air du Temps Nina Ricci perfume bottle. He died in 1977, leaving his daughter Marie-Claude in charge of the Cristallerie Lalique.