Whether they are simple or ornate, transparent or opaque, there’s something alluring about perfume bottles, the best of which captivates the eyes like a sensual sculpture.
For more than a century, Daum and Lalique have stood out as the epitome of artistic crystal making, melding ancient and modern techniques to create glass sculptures that radiate with light, color and sensuality. We showcase below fine perfume bottles handmade by the artisans of both maisons to illustrate the superb craftsmanship that goes into the making of these miniature works of art.
Daum
Founded in 1878, the House of Daum rapidly rode the artistic wave of the Art Noveau and Art Deco eras. At the famed Universal Exhibition of 1900, Daum was awarded a Grand Prix which brought it instant international fame. Always innovative and collaborative with major artists of the time, Daum evolved its artistic styles in the mid-1920s as the Art Nouveau movement gradually made way for the nascent Art Deco period, producing pieces in this new style which rank among the most beautiful among its peers. Glass took on a mineral, frosted look, shaped in highly sensual and cubist forms, accented by planes that cut deep into the glass in pieces that are graceful and tactile.
Lalique
Founded over a century ago in 1888 by the designer and poet, René Lalique, Lalique has remained the ultimate symbol of French luxury. René Lalique was the undisputed leader of the Art Nouveau Movement of the late 19th century, known for creating one-of-a-kind jewellery using materials such as horn, enamel, and ivory that were coveted by the courts of Europe, museums and collectors. As a pioneer artist of the Art Nouveau period, Rene Lalique blended symbolism and naturalism, inspired by Japanese artists, and revived long-abandoned techniques such as the lost-wax method developed more than in 3000 years ago during the Bronze Age by the Chinese. In 1907, René Lalique acquired a passion for glass, which had become an abiding element of his creations and the signature of Lalique the firm. It was during this period that René Lalique reimagined the perfume bottle – an object that dates to 1,000 BC, using opalescent glass that gave his works an unmistakable, sensual flourish, so much so that the name Lalique, like Daum, is still synonymous with glass.
