Lalique Crystal Martinets Vase Mint, Signed, Authentic (Martinet) Retail $2800

Martinet is French for Swift, a bird species that is similar to the Swallow. Raised dimensional Swifts in flight surround the vase. Mostly frosted finish with some clear crystal elements. Lalique's legendary quality is immediately apparent. It has that classic Lalique look of satinized or frosted glass contrasting with sparkling and ultra transparent clear crystal. This vase was designed by Marie-Claude Lalique in 1982. It has since become one of the most iconic Lalique designs. It is an absolutely stunning vase as you can see from my photos. You can find it on Lalique's website and at major department stores.

Measurements: Height 9.65 inches, Width at widest point 7.8 inches, Diameter at top 6.38 inche H 24,5 cm x L 27 cm x W 16,2. A very thick and heavy vase weighing a little over 9 pounds.

Hand crafted in the Alsace region of France where Lalique's workshops are located. Excellent condition with no chips, scratches, or other issues. The bottom is clear when looking down inside the vase. This means no hard water deposits which cause cloudiness. All photos are my own. Since the early 20th century when René Lalique started to design perfume bottles for François Coty in Paris, collectors all over the world have been searching for the most beautiful Lalique crystal pieces. These Lalique crystal pieces of art are hand made by Lalique crystal's master glass workers. Lalique crystal has always been handcrafted in the Workshops that Rene Lalique built in 1921.

They are located in the village of Wingen-sur-Moder in Alsace, a region of France which has the strongest glassmaking traditions. It has remained to this day the worlds sole Lalique production facility. Rene Lalique became famous for his designs of both jewelry and art glass.

The company curtailed operations during the German occupation of WWII. Rene passed right at the end of the war in 1945. His son Marc then took over the business and made some important changes. He changed the basic formula from 12% lead oxide demi crystal to 24% full lead crystal.

This made pieces produced after 1945 much brighter, sparkling, more transparent, and much heavier because of all that lead content. Marc was later succeeded by Renes grand daughter Marie. Thanks to a team of passionate designers, Lalique creates each year beautiful pieces inspired by three themes dear to Rene Lalique: women, flora and fauna. In the creation studio, designers use traditional techniques such as drawing and modelling but also new technologies thanks to digitization and 3D printing. Once at the factory, the manufacturing process begins.

A single crystal piece can require up to 40 different steps. With precise and regular movements, the human hand, that of both artist and craftsman, creates pieces of exceptional quality while preserving the ancestral know-how.

Lalique is proud to count among its craftsmen four who carry the title of Best Craftsmen in France. The first few stages of the long process of production are related to the manufacturing of the molds which is a fundamental know-how of the factory. Then the glassmakers brave extreme temperatures in the hot glass workshops in order to gather, clean, shape and reheat the crystal. The melting crystal can reach 1,400°C and is captured and manipulated using a variety of techniques. In the cold glass workshops, a piece will undergo a succession of manual operations.

These represent 2/3 of the time spent on the manufacturing of each object. The importance given to cold glass is characteristic of Lalique. It is the result of the extreme attention given to details, finishing and to the sculpture of each creation. The pieces are selected not only according to technical criteria (absence of defects) but also according to aesthetic criteria, with full respect of the creative teams intentions. During the entire process, each item is subject to rigorous checks before it can be signed by hand, a guarantee of its authenticity and quality.

The item "Lalique Crystal Martinets Vase Mint, Signed, Authentic (Martinet) Retail $2800" is in sale since Wednesday, February 12, 2020. This item is in the category "Pottery & Glass\Glass\Art Glass\French\Lalique". The seller is "cambridgenudes" and is located in Houston, Texas. This item can be shipped to United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Denmark, Romania, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Czech republic, Finland, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Estonia, Australia, Greece, Portugal, Cyprus, Slovenia, Japan, China, Sweden, South Korea, Indonesia, Taiwan, South africa, Thailand, Belgium, France, Hong Kong, Ireland, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Italy, Germany, Austria, Bahamas, Israel, Mexico, New Zealand, Singapore, Switzerland, Norway, Saudi arabia, Ukraine, United arab emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Croatia, Malaysia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Panama, Jamaica, Barbados, Bangladesh, Bermuda, Brunei darussalam, Bolivia, Ecuador, Egypt, French guiana, Guernsey, Gibraltar, Guadeloupe, Iceland, Jersey, Jordan, Cambodia, Cayman islands, Liechtenstein, Sri lanka, Luxembourg, Monaco, Macao, Martinique, Maldives, Nicaragua, Oman, Peru, Pakistan, Paraguay, Reunion, Viet nam, Uruguay.

Color: Clear and Frosted
Glassmaking Technique: Molded
Type of Glass: 24% Lead Crystal
Subject/Theme: Birds in Flight
Brand: Lalique
Original/Reproduction: Original
Features: Signed
Object Type: Vase