Made in France

Paris, France —Feathers and fur, zebras and crocodiles. A majestic toucan, an emblem of a jungle paradise. René Lalique the great French jewelry and glass and crystal maker was also passionate about nature and the natural world. The house’s latest collection for the home pays tribute to his love of nature in a collection presented in Paris this year, Empreinte Animale, or Animal Track. The house has brought out a homeware collection featuring feathers, fur and scales showcasing the house’s art of crystal haute couture so unique to Lalique. 

Green and clear crystal Feather vases from the Empreinte Animale collection from Lalique. Photos Cristina Coral courtesy Lalique. Handout via The Gourmet Gazette

These are beautifully textured pieces, unique to the touch, awaiting to be handled, with care. The emerald green toucan sculpture is a marvel. The crocodile motif captures all the graphic power of this fearsome animal. The meticulous detail of the scales and the crystal relief are a genuine technical achievement, imparting upon it a striking realism. Meanwhile the contrasted zebra pattern celebrates the natural geometry and natural beauty of this symbol of the African savannah. In the Amazon forest, quietly lurking in the flamboyant green foliage, lives a parrot with its characteristic plumage. Like the light coming through the tropical canopy, the purity of the reflections  and the radiance of the crystal are fascinating. The toucan is a newcomer to the Lalique bestiary. Curious and majestic, this exotic bird wears its dazzling green plumage with panache. 

Founded over 100 years ago in 1888, Lalique remains one of the most prominent names in the world of French luxury. René Lalique, who was born in Aÿ in Champagne country in 1860, would become renowned the world over for his great pieces in myriad materials. René Lalique was also a celebrated jewelry designer. He used enamel and glass side by side with the precious gemstones and metals and would transition into creating pieces out of these materials, beginning with a partnership for perfume bottles with the great French perfumer François Coty. He founded, in 1922, the Verrerie d’Alsace glassworks at Wingen-sur-Moder in Alsace, at the heart of a region with a strong and historic glassmaking tradition. This is today the world’s only Lalique factory and it celebrated its 100th anniversary last year. When René Lalique died in 1945, his son Marc took over at the helm of the business and brought Lalique into the age of crystal. ©Trish Valicenti for The Gourmet Gazette. https://www.lalique.com/en