NEW YORK – With more than 415 bidders, both online an in-person, competing for the just more than 400 lots in Heritage Auctions' Dec. 4 Signature® Lalique, Art Glass and Perfume Bottles auction, Heritage Consignment Director and Auctioneer Nick Dawes had a feeling it was going to be a good day.

"Art glass collectors had not seen such a large and impressive group of glass offered 'fresh to the market' in some time," said Dawes, "so the buyers were ready. Almost all of the property came from old collections or estates, and had not been seen on the market for more than 30 years, if at all."

When all was said and done, after two sessions of spirited bidding from the phones, Internet and a packed room – including Oscar-winning actress and talk show host Whoopi Goldberg, who regularly cracked jokes when she was outbid throughout the auction, though she did take home a few Art Glass treasures of her own – the auction total had far exceeded Heritage's predictions for the event to finish the day at $1.28 million, with a 94% sell-through rate by lot value, firmly establishing Heritage as America's premier venue for French Art Glass.

The evening session, which was entirely devoted to the works of René Lalique, provided the auction's principal highlight in the form of a 'Serpent' vase in deep amber glass, circa 1924, with a molded signature, that set a world record price for Lalique when it realized $56,673.

"The Lalique 'Serpent' vase was the best one I've ever seen," said Dawes, "and I've seen a lot of them in my 30 years in the business. This piece is well-worthy of that record price."

The opening lot of the acution, an early Gallé perfume bottle with silver mount and cover, c. 1895, in pristine condition, proved very popular with bidders and set the stage for the rest of event when it realized $7,170 amidst several rounds of intense bidding. The biggest fireworks of the night, after the Lalique 'Serpent,' came in the form of one of the rarest Lalique perfume bottles, a 'Raquel Meller' fragrance by Roditi & Sons enameled on each face in orange and black, c. 1925, which was recently found in a New Jersey estate, when it brought $20,315 against a pre-auction estimate of $6,000. Collectors were equally impressed with a grouping of 20 Lalique hood ornaments, which brought consistently high prices, led by the classic Victoire hood ornament at $19,718 and a superb version of Lalique's famous Cinq Cheveaux, which finished the evening at $16,730.

A small group of Daum 'Rain' vases, discovered in an old Southern California collection, had collectors buzzing when a particularly fine example of Daum's 'Rain' landscape vase, full of the melancholy unique to this rare form of French art glass, soared to more than five times its pre-auction estimate of $2,500 to bring a final price realized of $14,340. Bringing the same price of $14,340, Emile Gallé's 'Jeanne D'Arc' cameo glass vase drew attention from museums, dealers and collectors before selling for double the pre-auction estimate of $7,000.

Lalique collectors recognized the rarity and excellent condition of a Lalique Flore vase, boldly made in clear and frosted glass, pushing it to $$13,145 against a pre-auction estimate of $3,000.

"The key to making this auction so successful was our determination to estimate property reasonably, and offer it without reserve," said Dawes. "That made this an authentic, old-fashioned auction, which is becoming rarer and rarer in New York these days."

The name 'Lalique' is universally recognized and most authentic works are distinct in style and standard but wide fluctuations in market value demand close attention to detail for accurate appraisal. Fortunately, and somewhat uniquely, René Lalique jewelry and glass is well documented in two catalogues raisonnés, and all serious appraisals should be referenced to them. Lalique's policy of naming and numbering all glass designs has also made reference extremely simple in modern searching, though finding a common design may reveal a bewildering range of color versions and values. The following explanations attempt to clarify a Lalique appraisal. It is important to begin by understanding the three main periods of Lalique production:

1. Jewelry and objets vertu by René Lalique; circa 1885-1910.
2. Glass by René Lalique; circa 1910-1945.
3. Modern Lalique; circa 1947-Present.

First Period:

René Lalique (1860-1945) began his career as a jeweler in Paris in 1885 working in an innovative style using materials unfamiliar to most traditional jewelers. By 1900 his style had evolved into an extraordinarily robust and daring form of Art Nouveau achieving the highest technical and artistic standards. Original works from this period are rare and most are unique, though some simpler designs were made in series. Typical materials include gold, colorful enamels and Baroque pearls, and many include glass or plique-a-jour elements. Most pieces are stamped LALIQUE in tiny capital letters, often on the outer rim or back, and most are identified in the catalogue raisonné (Barten) or many subsequent exhibition catalogues. Unsigned pieces are unlikely to be by Lalique. At this time Lalique produced all types of personal jewelry, including hatpins and pectoral ornaments for evening wear together with some accessories such as evening bags. This period also saw Lalique producing unique objects of larger scale including chalices, desk items and book bindings using a variety of materials such as horn, ivory, glass, leather, wood and metals. Most are discreetly signed, and well documented. Although small pieces are aided by wearability and practical considerations, jewelry value is determined mainly by the complexity and sophistication of the item. Motifs such as female forms, animals or fish can greatly increase value over floral designs.

Condition is less of a factor in valuing jewelry. Good restoration and later alterations may not result in significant loss to value. The largest consideration in this area is fakery. Even though appearing convincing, modern fakes tend to be relatively simple in execution and lack the quality of manufacture of authentic work. Lalique produced some glass jewelry in the second period, but this genre is valued extremely lower than early work.

[ Read the full article » ]

• Consign to auction or get a free auction evaluation today.
• Should you consign to a Heritage Auction?
• Everything you need to know about estate planning.
• See what other collectors have to say about Heritage.
• Meet our Consignment Director team.

Note: We offer special Profit Opportunities for dealers and collectors via joint venture and partner relationships. If you know of quality objects for sale, Heritage can finance the purchase (either 50-50 or fully funded basis) and split proceeds after costs. We also offer generous Finder's Fees on auction consignments.