39 René Lalique Pieces from One Collection Head to Auction

A patron collected them over four decades.

Brecken Branstrator brecken.branstrator@nationaljeweler.com

This René Lalique ivory, horn, enamel, and diamond comb is predicted to be the top lot at an upcoming Sotheby’s auction. It is one of three “Orchidée” combs created by the designer as artists turned more to plants for inspiration at the turn of the 20th century.

Paris—Tomorrow, a rare museum-quality collection of pieces from iconic Art Nouveau designer René Lalique will go up for auction in Paris.

The Dec. 17 sale at Sotheby’s features 39 lots collected by Claude H. Sorbac, who died this year.

Lalique (1860-1945) got his start as an apprentice with goldsmith and jeweler Louis Aucoc in 1876, before studying at the Sydenham Art College of London. He went on to work as a designer for jewelry houses such as Vever, Cartier, and Boucheron.

In 1885, he became an independent designer, exhibiting works under his own name and exploring different materials. After doing that for 25 years, he left goldsmithing and jewelry behind to explore the art of glassmaking, which brought him worldwide acclaim.

Collector Sorbac, meanwhile, grew up in a family of art lovers surrounded by paintings and art objects from the likes of Renoir, Sisley, Degas, and Tiepolo.

See: Highlights of the Upcoming Lalique Jewelry Auction

A closer view of the auction’s No. 1 lot. The “Orchidée Cattleya” comb features ivory, horn, enamel, and diamond and is expected to sell for €700,000-€1.5 million, or about $791,000-$1.7 million at current exchange rates.

The “Hirondelles Amoureuses” comb features two swallows made of horn, one holding a branch highlighted with circular- and single-cut diamonds. It could garner between €400,000 and €600,000 ($452,000-$678,000).

The “Grenouilles” necklace, circa 1902-1903, was inspired by the story of the princess in the play “La Princesse au Sabbat,” whose palace was adorned with mirrors and frogs and was punished for her conceit. It features glass frogs with enamel and circular-cut diamonds (€400,000-€600,000, or $452,000-$678,000).

Lalique started to work with glass at the start of the 20th century, allowing him to make increasingly sculptural designs with more precision than if he used fine or ornamental stones. This “Libellules et Fougères” necklace features a series of glass motifs with enamel and circular-cut and rose-cut diamonds (€250,000-€400,000, or $282,000-$452,000).

The “Pensées” tiara is decorated with glass pansies, green enamel foliage, and circular, single-cut, and rose-cut diamonds (€150,000-€300,000, or $169,400-$339,000).

After joining the 1st Moroccan Spahi Regiment during WWII and participating in the liberation of Paris, he returned home to France to start his career as an entrepreneur and, at the same time, started collecting antiques.

In the latter pursuit, he quickly took an interest in Art Nouveau and its primary players, and it wasn’t long before Lalique works became his main interest.

He devoted decades to this passion, travelling to flea markets and auctions to find the best, even buying pieces directly from Lalique’s heirs, and as such his collection traces the designer’s career and reflects his many inspirations and collaborations with other creatives.

It highlights the artist’s pioneering use of innovative materials like glass, aluminum, bronze, and copper, combined with fine materials like diamonds, gemstones, and gold.

Pieces from Sorbac’s collection have been featured in international exhibitions, at institutions such as the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, the Smithsonian Institution, the Kyoto National Museum, and the Kremlin in Moscow.

Now, they are appearing at auction for the first time.

See: More Jewels in the Dec. 17 Lalique Auction

The “Chantecler” large collar was created for actress Sarah Bernhardt in the play of the same name. It features openwork leather embroidered with silk, depicting roosters that are applied with enamel and accented by glass berry motifs, and features a cabochon citrine on the clasp (€150,000-€200,000, or $169,400-$226,000).

The “Papillon de Nuit” clip is in the shape of a night butterfly with articulated wings, multi-colored cloisonné enamel, and circular-cut and rose-cut diamonds (€150,000-€300,000, or $169,400-$339,000).

The profile of actress Sarah Bernhardt, who was a muse and patron, appears in several of Lalique’s designs, as seen in this “Visage de Femme et Glycine” pendant-necklace, which also shows wisteria flowers applied with blue and green enamel (€100,000-€200,000, or $113,000--$226,000).

“Mûres” brooch made of steel and aluminum with mulberry motifs (€8,000-€12,000, or $9,000-$14,000)

The Ophelia plaque shows the protagonist of Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” laying under a willow branch, evoking her tragic death by drowning (€4,000-€8,000, or $5,000-$9,000).

The top lot of the sale is the ivory, horn, enamel, and diamond comb seen at the top of this article, purchased in 1976 from one of Lalique’s heirs.

Showcasing the influence new species of plants were having on turn-of-the century artists, it is one of three “Orchidée” combs he made in 1904, with Sotheby’s calling this one the “most grand” in terms of size, finesse, the “velvety” texture of the petals and the delicate plique-à-jour enamel work.

Another comb, dubbed “Hirondelles Amoureuses,” or “Loving Swallows,” circa 1905-1906, is the No. 2 sale lot.

The Japonisme-inspired piece was also purchased from one of Lalique’s descendants in 1979 and showcases the designer’s fondness for the swallow design, which symbolized the return of springtime, renewal, energy, and freedom.

Another highlight showcasing the influence of nature is a tiara adorned with glass pansies alternating with diamond-studded green enamel foliage designs.