Jewellers Art in France
full advantage. Particularly did he oppose the
use of the diamond—the vulgar diamond, the
fiarvenu's delight.
pendant, with diamonds and pearls by m. vever
belt buckle designed by grasset
executed by vever
to a half-forgotten school of poetry. What I mean
to suggest is, that he seems sometimes to attach
too much importance to certain ideas, certain
forms, certain motifs—call it what you will—which
do not deserve this excess of honour.
Many and various are the in-
fluences by which M. Rene Lalique
has been impelled. Here, for
instance, in this really charming
hat-pin, we find traces of the decora-
tive school of Glasgow. Here,
again, in this comb is the suggestion
of some Japanese draughtsman;
elsewhere are frequent echoes of
ancient art—Byzantine, Gothic, and
Renaissance — with not a few re-
minders of the English school of
decorators. Nevertheless, as has
been said, his is always so original as
fully to deserve the place he occu-
pies in the movement for the renova-
tion of the jeweller's art. For M.
Lalique is modern, ultra-modern. At
times he might even be described as
" decadent," in the sense in which
. . ornement de corsage, in diamonds,
certain literary critics apply the word translucent enamels and opals by m. vever
29
full advantage. Particularly did he oppose the
use of the diamond—the vulgar diamond, the
fiarvenu's delight.
pendant, with diamonds and pearls by m. vever
belt buckle designed by grasset
executed by vever
to a half-forgotten school of poetry. What I mean
to suggest is, that he seems sometimes to attach
too much importance to certain ideas, certain
forms, certain motifs—call it what you will—which
do not deserve this excess of honour.
Many and various are the in-
fluences by which M. Rene Lalique
has been impelled. Here, for
instance, in this really charming
hat-pin, we find traces of the decora-
tive school of Glasgow. Here,
again, in this comb is the suggestion
of some Japanese draughtsman;
elsewhere are frequent echoes of
ancient art—Byzantine, Gothic, and
Renaissance — with not a few re-
minders of the English school of
decorators. Nevertheless, as has
been said, his is always so original as
fully to deserve the place he occu-
pies in the movement for the renova-
tion of the jeweller's art. For M.
Lalique is modern, ultra-modern. At
times he might even be described as
" decadent," in the sense in which
. . ornement de corsage, in diamonds,
certain literary critics apply the word translucent enamels and opals by m. vever
29