Berce
The keen interest shown in hairpins and combs in the late nineteenth century can be explained in various ways. From the Second Empire, the craze for Spain brought the traditional tortoiseshell comb into fashion. Then the Japanese vogue introduced the West to chased metal and lacquered wooden combs, as well as long hair pins turned into real ornaments. Moreover, with the fashion for chignons, combs and hair pins became indispensable. Jewellers then seized on these objects as a pretext for their inventiveness.
René Lalique was a master in the creation of refined ornaments. He judged the value of a piece of jewellery not by the richness of its materials, but purely on its artistic content. He was fascinated by the possibilities of horn—considered 'obscure and shameful'—and used it as a substitute for the traditional, luxurious tortoiseshell.
The way the horn has been treated in these hairpins is typical of Lalique's talent as a designer and skill as a craftsman. The umbels are immediately identifiable. Hogweed was a very popular motif at the time, particularly among the artists of the Nancy School.
The designer has stylised the natural characteristics of the flower head in an abstract manner. By its structure, the piece of jewellery fulfils its function of holding the chignon in place and enhancing beauty of the hair. But its success also comes from the choice of materials and their subtle combination. The remarkably carved pale horn suggests the millefiori aspect of the flower head. The tiny diamonds catch the light and translate the shimmering of the inflorescence. The gold imitates the stiff stems and the involucres.
- jusqu'en 1995, dans la collection Ritman, Amsterdam.
- 1995, Fine Art Nouveau and Symbolist Jewellery of René Lalique, Genève, Sotheby's,16 novembre, n°33
- 1995, acquis en vente publique par les Musées nationaux pour le musée d'Orsay (comité du 07/12/1995, conseil du 13/12/1995, arrêté du 20/12/1995)
- 1995, attribué au musée d'Orsay, Paris
- The Jewellery of René Lalique - Goldsmith's Hall - Royaume-Uni, Londres, 1987, n°54 p. 76-77
- René Lalique : bijoux, verre - musée des Arts décoratifs - France, Paris, 1991-1992
- De l'Impressionnisme à l'Art Nouveau, acquisitions du musée d'Orsay 1990-1996 - musée d'Orsay - France, Paris, 1996-1997, p.228-229
- 1900 - Galeries nationales du Grand Palais - France, Paris, 2000
- René Lalique 1860-1945 - National Museum of Modern Art - Japon, Kyoto, 2000-2001, n°135 p. 93
- Art Nouveau et industrie du luxe à Paris - Setagaya Art Museum - Japon, Tokyo, 2009
- Art Nouveau et industrie du luxe à Paris - Nagasaki Prefectural Art Museum - Japon, Nagasaki, 2009-2010
- Art Nouveau et industrie du luxe à Paris - Prefectural Art Museum - Japon, Hiroshima, 2010
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Anonyme, The Jewellery of René Lalique, Londres, [s.n.], 1987, p. 76-77
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Thiébaut, Philippe, 48/14 La revue du Musée d'Orsay, "Nouvelles acquisitions", Paris, Réunion des musées nationaux, 1996, p. 34-35
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Gabet, Olivier [sous la direction de], Japonismes, "Le Japonisme à la rencontre de l'Art nouveau : l'influence du Japon dans les arts décoraifs, du XVIIIe siècle à l'avant-guerre", Paris, Flammarion, 2014, repr. p. 187
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Brunhammer, Yvonne ; Gomes Ferreira, Maria Teresa, René Lalique : bijoux, verre, cat.exp. (Paris, musée des arts décoratifs, 22 octobre 1991-8 mars 1992), Paris, Musée des arts décoratifs ; Réunion des musées nationaux, 1991, n° 203 p. 88 ; p. 225
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Loyrette, Henri [sous la direction de] ; Bascou, Marc, De l'Impressionnisme à l'Art nouveau : acquisitions du Musée d'Orsay, 1990-1996, cat. exp. (Paris, Musée d'Orsay, 16 octobre 1996-5 janvier 1997), Paris, Réunion des musées nationaux, 1996, p. 228-229
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Thiébaut, Philippe, Exposition 1900, cat. exp. (Paris, Galeries nationales du Grand Palais, du 14 mars au 26 juin 2000), Paris, Réunion des musées nationaux, 2000, n° 315, p. 290
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Cogeval, Guy [sous la direction de] ; Thiébaut, Philippe [sous la direction de], Art Nouveau et industrie du luxe à Paris, cat.exp. (Tokyo, Setagaya art museum, 12 septembre-29 novembre 2009 ; Nagasaki prefectural art museum, 11 décembre 2009-28 février 2010 ; Hiroshima prefectural art museum, 7 avril-13 juin 2010), Tokyo, The Yomiuri Shimbun, 2009, p. 92-93, n° 51 ; p. 224
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