René Lalique
Model created in 1921
Pressed glass
Property of the Lalique Museum
Created by René Lalique, this piece is signed VDA, a somewhat unusual feature that takes us back to one of the turning points in the history of Lalique.
In the period following the First World War, Lalique’s reputation was growing fast, and the Combs-la-Ville site could no longer cope with demand. To increase production capacity, René Lalique decided to build a new factory in Wingen-sur-Moder. In the early days, he chose to sign certain pieces VDA, for Verrerie d’Alsace, then from 1923 onwards the more popular signature « R. Lalique » became the norm: the name had clearly become a symbol of quality and refinement.
René Lalique had the insight and daring to rationalise production methods in order to produce in greater quantities. He adopted industrial processes such as compressed air blowing and the pressed glass technique, which is the method used here. Molten glass is placed in a metal mould and pressed, so that the glass adopts the shapes sculpted in the mould.
By the way: animals feature frequently in René Lalique’s creations, but dogs are an exception, generally appearing only in hunting scenes.
