晶莹透彻

Not quite nine centimetres in height, the perfume bottle on the left dates from 1911 and bears the title L'Idylle (The Idyll). It portrays a couple dancing – an allegorical representation of Adam and Eve before the expulsion from the Garden of Eden. The model on the right is a prototype from around 1910. Photos: Sabina Paries

The Phalène flacon imitates the shape of a butterfly. The figure embedded in the glass shows a woman. The outer form and inner figure symbolise a metamorphosis. René Lalique designed flacons such as this one for the D'Héraud company in 1913 and 1914.

A view into this display case at the Musée Lalique in Wingen-sur-Moder. On the left, D'où vient-il from 1920, made for Vigny. Next to them are two prototypes from 1919. The fourth flacon was made for D'Héraud in 1914; the fifth and sixth bottles show butterfly metamorphoses. These are followed by the two models Le Succès and Grâce, made for D'Orsay, as well as L'Idylle and a prototype from 1910.

René Lalique named this creation Black Currant. The dramatically curved caps are modelled in relief from eleven pairs of vertical ribs. The flacons were created in 1920. As a world-famous brand, Lalique also equipped Pullman train carriages and compartments for the Orient Express.

The chiselled bottle in the centre was created in 1911 and was never named. It is surrounded by very different prototypes.

The eye-catcher is the box in the middle: A travers la voilette (A Look Through the Hat Veil), from 1924. This creation for Isabey was Lalique's answer to Coco Chanel's Nº 5. This fragrance was an instant success in 1921 and found many imitators. The bottle to the right of the box resembles the second version of the original.

René Lalique revolutionised flacon production, and his innovations were copied accordingly, which is why he tried to protect himself with his first patents in 1911 and 1912. This collection from 1911 is one of them. From left to right, the classic box shape of Dahlia changes via Fleur and Althéa to a stylised eye: the blossom becomes a shimmering iris.

The bottle in the foreground was created in 1912. The name says it all: Deux figurines, bouchon deux figurines. The spectacularly shaped stopper takes up the motif of the two female figures from the central plaque. Only at second glance do the bodies become recognisable on the clasp.

René Lalique created the motif of the bottle on the left as early as 1912, but it was not until 1934 that the mermaid became established. Here, La Sirène adorns a Brumann brand flacon.

The twenty-five-kilogram sculpture Cheval de Poséidon (Horses of Poseidon) was created in 2019 in a limited edition of 188 pieces. The motif follows ancient depictions. The photo shows the sculpture in its raw state. The crystal still needs to be cut and polished, showing the interplay of clear and satin surfaces.

The Lalique repertoire ranges from delicate perfume bottles to crystal sculptures commissioned by artists including Terry Rodgers, Arik Levy and Damien Hirst, as well as furnishings and decorative goods. Here, the Pivoines vase made of green crystal from 2020.