A Lalique Dragonfly Symbolizing Art Nouveau

Published on 12 November 2020, by Agathe Albi-Gervy

Auction on 01 December 2020 - 14:00 (CET) - 12, rue Drouot - 75009 Paris

This exquisite brooch by René Lalique reflects a powerful movement that did away with all restraints on creativity, making the ephemeral dragonfly a rich and complex source of inspiration.

René Lalique (1860-1945), Quatre libellules (Four dragonflies), 18-carat yellow gold... A Lalique Dragonfly Symbolizing Art Nouveau

René Lalique (1860-1945), Quatre libellules (Four dragonflies), 18-carat yellow gold brooch, antique cut diamonds, polychrome plique-à-jour enamel, pendant cushion-shaped and oval aquamarines, 18-carat rose gold pin, c. 1900, 7.48 x 11.75 cm (2.9 x 4.6 in).
Estimate: €220,000/300,000

In René Lalique's mind, women were dragonflies, taking on the insect's delicate, airy grace. For the most divine of his contemporaries, actress Sarah Bernhardt, he portrayed the dragonfly magnificently in a brooch of breath-taking mastery, which enchanted financier Calouste Gulbenkian and now dazzles visitors to his museum in Lisbon. Here the naked torso transforms into a dragonfly, with a body…

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