Rainy Day Wonderings

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Jewelry and Prostitution

Necklace, ca. 1900

By
René Jules Lalique (French, 1860–1945)
Gold, enamel, Australian opal, Siberian amethysts;

Overall diam. 9-1/2 in. (24.1 cm)

9 large pendants: H. 2-3/4, W. 2-1/4 in. (7 x 5.7 cm)

9 small pendants: H. 1-3/8, W. 1-1/4 in. (3.5 x 3.2 cm)

René-Jules Lalique was born in the Marne region of France. As a young student he showed great artistic promise and his mother guided him toward jewelry making. From 1876 to 1878 he apprenticed with Louis Aucoc, a noted Parisian jeweler. By the 1890s he had opened his own workshop in Paris and become one of the most admired jewelers of the day.

Lalique avoided using precious stones and the conservatively classical settings favored by other leading jewelers of the time. Rather, he combined semiprecious stones with such materials as enamel, horn, ivory, coral, rock crystal, and irregularly shaped Baroque pearls in settings of organic inspiration, frequently accentuated by asymmetrical curves or elaborate flourishes.

He designed this powerfully evocative necklace for his second wife, Augustine-Alice Ledru, around the turn of the century. The repeats of the main motif — an attenuated female nude whose highly stylized curling hair swirls around her head and whose arms sensuously curve down to become a border enclosing enamel-and-gold swans and an oval cabochon amethyst — are separated by pendants set with fire opals mounted in swirling gold tendrils.

Dragonfly woman corsage ornament, c. 1897-1898
By René Lalique
gold, enamel, chrysoprase, moonstones, and diamonds
Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, Lisbon

At the end of the nineteenth century, jewelry underwent a radical transformation--the Frenchman René Lalique was at the heart of it.Unlike traditional jewelers, who relied almost exclusively on precious stones for effect, Lalique used a variety of materials to create incredibly rich sculptural objects that are works of art in their own right. For the head and body of the woman in this glittering brooch, he chose semiprecious apple-green chrysoprase; the dragonfly wings are made of enamel set with gold and irregular moonstones, ringed with diamonds to convey the iridescent character of insect wings. Notice how the wings are hinged in four places and the tail bends, allowing this enormous brooch to adjust to and move with the body of the person who wore it.

The brooch embodies many of the themes that characterize the Art Nouveau style. Nature, metamorphosis, and eroticism are all expressed in this disturbing, fantastical image of a bare-breasted woman emerging from a large dragonfly. When it was shown at the Paris World s Fair of 1900, one English visitor to the fair commented, "Very remarkable and startling to the observer, but is it jewelry?"

Metamorphosis, or change from one physical form to another, was a major theme for many Art Nouveau artists. Here, woman and insect are fused into an almost menacing creature with golden claws. The idea of the femme fatale, or dangerous woman, was a recurrent theme in many Art Nouveau creations.

"Victoire" hood ornament Francec. 1928
Manufacturer: Lalique et Cie, Cristallerie French, founded 1909
Designer: René Jules Lalique French, 1860 - 1945
Molded glass
Dallas Museum of Art

Following the success of the automobile exhibit at the 1925 Internationale des Arts Decoratifs et Industriels Modernes in Paris, the Citroen Company commissioned René Lalique to design a series of over twenty-five "mascots," or radiator cap ornaments. Victoire (Victory), dubbed "Spirit of the Wind" by British customers, features an androgynous head with a plume of sharply tapered, geometric hair intended to evoke the automobile's speed and power. Purchasers had the option of illuminating it from within by means of a light controlled by the automobile's engine. As the car accelerated and decelerated, the intensity of the light would change correspondingly

"Tourbillons" Vase, ca. 1925
By René Jules Lalique (French, 1860–1945)
Glass and enamel; 8 x 8 1/2 in. (20.3 x 21.6 cm)
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Want to know more? Please visit...
World Collectors Net

5 Comments

Anonymous posted at 4:17 PM
I have been divorced for sixteen years and I don't want a relationship at this point in my life.

As you know I have used an escort service on occasion. The men are informed on current issues, have manners and really fun to be around.

I am 67 years old and I always have the option to have sex with these men. Many are twenty years younger than I, they provide foreplay and are willing to please me. When I am done, they go back to their lives with money in their pockets and I don't have to deal with their dirty socks, farts and burps. ;0)

Aunt Bella

Anonymous posted at 10:55 PM
The Victoire hood ornament is very cool. Out of the 25 that were made do you know how many are still in existence?

Aunt Bella you should write a book on your life experiences. I bet it would make the best sellers list!

I once had a guy tell me that he visited prostitues because once his wife had children and became a "mother" she no longer had the desire or time to get "kinky".pfft

~Candy

Rain posted at 11:38 AM
Aunt Bella,

Welcome to my site! First I would like to thank you for your time and advice that you gave me on Halloween. Your "tips" were very useful.

When I become your age I hope I have the same outlook on life as you do. You certainly are a treasure :0)

Candy~

Hmm, I will have to look that one up. It would be wonderful if all of them could be accounted for.

I have met men from different cultures who believe that once a woman becomes a mother she is considered "sacred" in their minds.

However, in this case I think the guy should get off his butt, help her with the kids and maybe she would regain her sex drive. Instead of spending money on a prostitue he should take that money and send his wife to a day spa!

XOXO

Marie posted at 1:46 PM
His work is beautiful! Dropping by to say hello!

Handsome B. Wonderful posted at 10:01 AM
I never understood the hooker thing with men. If my wife isn't available I'd much rather just look at some porn and get off. It's safe and my wife knows I do that (as does she) and is fine with it. So no one gets hurt.

Or go online and get off with someone on chat. We'd both rather do that then risk getting some disease. It is a way to maintain a sort of open marriage without having to risk getting the HIV and dealing with any number of other problems.

I guess men like the prostitute thing because of the thrill?? I just don't get it because a lot of these women aren't very attractive.

Anyway that's my take on the whole issue. I'm very honest about things and especially sexuality. Americans are so uptight about it in general I think. We don't even talk about it and when we do we are thought to be "perverts." I just want to say to those people that we ALL think about naughty stuff so get off your pedestals.