Rene Lalique was one of the giants of twentieth century decorative arts and a master of the Art Deco idiom. Born in 1860, early artistic talent led to an apprenticeship with Paris goldsmith Louis Aucoc. By 1885 Rene had established his own workshop, and for the next twenty years he designed and made jewellery of great originality and beauty. Though this became famous worldwide, before the turn of the century he began experimenting with glass, and it is for this that Lalique is today most famous: for the fine art perfume bottles he produced for Francois Coty and for a vast repertoire besides, including vases, lighting, clocks, car mascots and architectural commissions. This lavishly illustrated history celebrates the extraordinary jewellery and glass of Rene Lalique, and the glass of the Lalique company up to the present day.

Author Biography

Eric Knowles began work at Bonhams, the London auctioneers, in 1976 and became head of the ceramics department in 1981. He became a director of Bonhams in 1985. Eric became a well known TV personality in the 1990s, as a regular expert on the Antiques Roadshow, and presenter of several programmes including 'Going for a Song'. He retains his high profile on TV and is also a regular contributor to 'BBC Homes and Antiques', and 'Collect It!' magazines, and he is antiques expert for the Sunday Times. He is the author of several books on antiques and the decorative arts.