THE SLEEPY countryside village of Wingen-sur-Moder in Alsace, near the German border, is one of the most unlikely places to find a world-class museum. However, this location is home to the magnificent Musée Lalique, which opened in 2011, housing over 650 glassware pieces by René Lalique and his team. It is situated moments from the Lalique factory which is celebrating its centenary this year.
Lalique Factory
René Lalique was born on 6 April 1860 in Ay-en-Champagne within the Marne region of France. When he was young, the Lalique family moved to Paris and, following the death of his father, René became an apprentice to craftsman and jewellery Louis Aucoc. After gaining recognition as an independent designer with some of the great jewellery houses still in existence today, he took over the workshop before opening his store on Place Vendome in Paris.
Lalique Vase Bacchantes in Cerulean Blue
René Lalique was the founder of ‘costume jewellery’ as we know it today. He disregarded the favoured use of precious stones, which were widespread at the time, and replaced them with enamel, glass, bone, and semi-precious stones, such as tourmaline and bloodstone.
In 1905 he was approached by Francois Coty to produce glass bottles for the perfume industry. Rene developed unique designs combining the industrial techniques of glass production with the utilisation of minerals. He founded the Verrerie d’Alsace glassworks at Wingen-sur-Moder in 1922, which remains the only Lalique factory in the world. By creating decorative objects of art in the distinguishable contrasting clear and frosted glass, his fame grew worldwide, with Lalique remaining an established luxurious collector’s item almost 80 years after his death.
Lalique Fusion Fragrance
Today René Lalique’s designs are displayed in many of the smartest hotels in the world, including at the Fumoir Bar at Claridge’s, at the iconic Poisson Fountain in the Savoy courtyard, and in the Rivoli Bar at the Ritz, Paris. To celebrate the centenary, some of Lalique’s most iconic pieces in the collection have been clothed in cerulean blue. In addition, the factory is producing two new limited-edition pieces – a beautiful bottle housing the new Lalique Fusion fragrance and a sensational spirit decanter, Water Drop.
by Amanda Bernstein