LALIQUE - SIGNED - VERY RARE AMBER GOURA - CROWNED PIGEON - NEW GUINEA

Description

This VERY RARE AMBER Lalique goura, or Western Crowned Pigeon comes in several colors.  This sale is for one in amber, a very scarce and desirable color.  This is signed, as shown in the photos.
This lovely crowned pigeon is 3-1/2" tall (8cm), is 4-1/2" from the tip of the protruding crown to the end of the base (11cm), and is 2" wide (5cm).  It weighs 13 ounces.
It is made with 24% lead crystal. This also gives it that classic Lalique look of satinized or frosted glass contrasting with sparkling and ultra transparent clear crystal.
Based on the form of the signature, we know that this piece was manufactured sometime after 1978.  Between 1945 and 1978, the words Lalique France were etched into a piece.  Before 1945 there would have been an R in front of Lalique. After 1978 there would have been a trademark symbol ® between the words Lalique and France.
All photos are my own. No stock photos.
We do not have the original Lalique box but will pack carefully and fully insure.
Since the early 20th century when Rene Lalique started to design perfume bottles for Francois 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 world's 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 Rene?s 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 team's 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.
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