RAGO AUCTIONS TO OFFER RARE LALIQUE
May 9, 2005
Lambertville, NJ - The Rago Arts and Auction Center in Lambertville, New Jersey, will host another extraordinary auction of works by Rene Lalique on Friday, May 20 th at 2 p.m. Eastern time. The 350 lots have been assembled by Nicholas M. Dawes, internationally recognized as the pre-eminent authority on Lalique for over 25 years, who has been working with Rago for seven years. According to Mr. Dawes, “This is one of the finest collections of Lalique I have ever seen at auction, and I am not sure if a sale of this quality, diversity and scale can ever be repeated.” This is certainly a unique opportunity to view and perhaps acquire works by Rene Lalique (1860-1945), who is widely considered the best glass artist of modern times. Lalique’s work has consistently proven popular at auction since Mr. Dawes hosted his first Lalique sale at Phillips in New York in 1980, and several pieces have soared in price to well over $100,000 in recent years.
The Rago auction presents the full spectrum of Rene Lalique’s work. Among the earliest works are three original design drawings by Rene Lalique, dated from the late 1890’s to about 1905, complemented by a few pieces of Lalique jewelry. Lalique’s earliest glass creations are represented by collections of boxes, inkwells and letter seals, dating from 1910. “The seal collection is amazing. Some of the finest and rarest seals will be offered, probably never to be seen again at auction.” Seals are among the most popular of Lalique’s glass today, evidenced by a price of $21,000 for a rare example in the last Lalique sale in November of 2004. Lalique’s perfume bottles are also very well represented, as are table glass, car mascots, statuary, architectural works, lighting and vases. “We have several of the classics,” Dawes noted, referring to a superb opalescent ‘Suzanne’ statuette, and equally powerful ‘Bacchantes’ vase.
Opalescent figural Lalique is also represented by a rare ‘Vitesse’ automobile mascot, and three smaller statuettes. Other classic Lalique designs include a fine original ‘Tourbillons’ vase, identical to the one recently acquired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. “This auction truly has something for everyone,” said Dawes, including fine post-war pieces, several lots chosen for the new collector with estimates below $500 and two complete libraries of Lalique reference works, with several rare volumes among them.
View the fully illustrated catalog and bid absentee or live online through www.LiveAuctioneers.com.
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