Lalique at the MET in New York
Lalique is a full fledged part of the History of Art and Design at the MET in New York! Over the centuries the jewel has taken on different meanings and the Metropolitan Museum of Art has one of the most spectacular collections divided into several themed rooms just to emphasize how, once worn, the ornament could transform, emphasize and dress a body. The Divine Body section examines the link between ornament and immortality, displaying objects from ancient Egypt and others from the royal cemetery of Ur in Mesopotamia. The sapphires and pearls of Byzantium, the finely crafted gold of Hellenistic Greece, and the ivory and bronze of the royal courts of Benin; period ornaments that illustrate the availability of a courtesan in Edo in Japan up to the elegant designs of Castellani, Lalique and Tiffany & Co.
Lillian Nassau, an exponent of antique dealers in New York, and one of the first in America to see a market in Art Nouveau and Art Deco, donated this splendid Lalique necklace to the MET in New York, dating back to around 1897-99, composed of gold, opal, enamel and amethysts, masterfully crafted, as only Lalique could imagine.
Mrs. Nassau opened her stores, first on Third Avenue and 56th Street and then on East 57th Street. For over 35 years, her galleries have been places of worship for collectors and museum curators around the world.
An expert in the decorative arts of the 20th century, she has donated her experience both in the market and in the history of these precious objects. She was the first to manage the works of Louis Comfort Tiffany, and became her greatest promoter of the revival of interest in these masterpieces in the United States. She paid $176 for her first Tiffany bronze and glass lamp in 1956; before her death some Tiffany lamps were worth over $1 million.
She was also among the first to preserve the works of European design giants of the early 20th century: Rene Lalique’s jewelry and glass, Georg Jensen’s silver, Emile Galle’s vases and lamps, and furniture by Josef Hoffmann, Louis Majorelle and Carlo Bugatti.
F.G. Fecarotta Gioielli; Over two centuries of history.
We are jewelers, for over 200 years.
We create collections of classic, manufactured jewels, defined by a very high quality of the worked stones.
