Magazine LALIQUE 2025

HERITAGE

One of René Lalique’s greatest successes had been his production for Coty perfumes, while one of the most important achievements of his son Marc was his partnership with Nina Ricci perfumes. After overcoming many hardships, Marc was able to command his own place in the world. He passed away on 20 October 1977, leaving behind a precious legacy. In 1927, Marc married Marie-Madeleine Bourret, and their daughter, Marie-Claude, was born on 19 April 1935. As a child, she often followed her father to the crystalworks, therefore learning at a very young age the secrets of manufacturing crystal objects, as well as understanding the related difficulties. Later, she studied theatre design at the École nationale supérieure des Arts Décoratifs in Paris. This eclectic training would become the foundation of her art, and when her father asked her to create a crystal dove at the beginning of the 1960s, she actually sculpted her model rather than drawing it, having seen her grandfather sculpting his models many times before.

Could any other flacon, then, be better suited than one adorned with doves, allegorical images of love, peace, bliss, and freedom, thus expressing the spirit of the post-war era as well as the essence of the perfume? Later, all Nina Ricci flacons would be created by Lalique, with many different variations to follow the emblematic themes of the different perfumes. The miniature flacons would go on to be in great demand as collectible objects. Therefore, as the hallmark of a remarkable collaboration, the Lalique crystalworks would produce millions of Nina Ricci flacons for more than forty years.

Marie-Claude started to work very closely with her father and began her career as a sculptor, creating many decorative objects, such as hyper-realistic representations of wild animals like panthers, lions, and zebras. She was also drawing jewellery with colourful enamels and gems. Even though her works displayed a great wealth of imagination, she endeavoured to pursue, with passion, the type of expression already adopted by her grandfather and father, a blend of tradition and renewal.

From top to bottom: L′Air du Temps flacon created by Marc Lalique in 1951 © Studio Y. Langlois Marie-Claude and Marc Lalique Zeila leopard created by Marie-Claude Lalique in 1990

From top to bottom and left to right: Antinéa vase created by Marie-Claude Lalique in 1975, Lalique SA collection © Karine Faby Deux poissons design created in 1953 Chandelier created by Marc Lalique in 1951, Musée Lalique collection ©Musée Lalique Santorin vase created by Marie-Claude Lalique in 1980, Musée Lalique collection ©Karine Faby Two Coq brooches created by Marie-Claude Lalique in 1968, private collection © Studio Y. Langlois Champs-Élysées bowl created by Marc Lalique in 1951

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