Renard Fox Lalique Figurines Auction

Renard Fox highlights Ele Chesney Lalique Figurines Auction

Renard Fox Lalique Figurines

Ele Chesney, a millionaire rare automotible collector, has placed a rare Lalique Figurine collection of car mascot hood ornaments up for auction at the famed Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance in Florida on March 10, 2012.  The estimated value of the 30 Lalique crystal glass figurines collection and display case could sell for $1.2 million or more according to RM Auctions.  The Amelia Island event is a world wide rare automotible collectors event with many fine automobiles up for auction by RM.  Lalique figurines auction featuring these car mascot figurines are rare as less than 7 collections are possible.

Rene Lalique was a noted French jeweler and master artist who saw the niche market for glass crystal hood ornaments for wealthy clients.  Clients who were purchasing new fine automobiles such as Bentley, Bugatti, Mercedes-Benz, and Hispano-Suiza.  Lalique by the time of his death i 1945 was the foremost producer of glass crystal figurines in the world.

Between 1920 and 1931 Lalique produced 30 designs featured in his 1932 Lalique catalog.  Know as car mascots the hood ornaments proved impractical for use on the vehicles due to damage, theft, chipping, and fracturing.  Hood ornaments at the time were also used as radiator caps.  Once removed from the vehicles they became practical figurine collectibles and fine paperweights.

The rare 30 piece collection is rarely available for sale as only a handful are known to exist.  The rarest piece named Renard the Fox only had six figurines known to remain in existence.  As records were destroyed in WWII it is now believed that Lalique only made 10 of the frosted glass Renard Fox figurines.  Renard Fox figurine sold for $325,000 alone in the early 1990′s.

René Lalique was born on April 6, 1860 in Ay, France. In 1885 he opened a workshop, and his unique style of jewelry gained widespread renown with the incorporation of flowing majestic plant, animal and human forms in his works. He further enhanced his designs with the use of horn, ivory, pearl, coral, enamel, plastic or glass in-laid with semi-precious stones. Lalique’s creations drew the attention of prominent personalities such as Sarah Bernhardt, the leading actress of her day. For Lalique to have her as a major client was to draw a wellspring of other affluent and influential personages to his creations. By 1900, at the Paris Exposition Universelle, his innovative exhibit attracted vast crowds, and demand for his work placed him at the pinnacle of success in the field of jewelry.   Rejecting complacency, Lalique embraced new challenges. He had already experimented with glass in jewelry making and, by age 50, conceived a new goal of becoming a master glassmaker. The achievement of this goal would gain him worldwide fame that continues today. Lalique opened a small glass shop near the famous perfumer Francois Coty, for whom he began creating classic perfume bottles. Soon, he was engaged by D’Orsay, Forvil, Rogeret et Gallet and many others. In all, Lalique created more than 250 different bottles, some with collector values that currently exceed $100,000.

Like so many other artists from the 1880s through the 1920s, Lalique recognized the need to bring art into everyday life. The only way to accomplish this was to begin mass production of stemware, tableware, inkwells, clocks and vases. At the height of production, Lalique employed 600 people in his glass factories. These skillful artisans created millions of pieces of glassware, many “personalized” with highlight polishing, frosting and glazing for a trademark presentation of individualized attention.

Recent Lalique figurine Renard Fox discovered

In November 2011, Wiederseim Assosicates and auction house in Pennsylvania was selected to auction items from the Dupont estate.  John Dupont was the millionaire son of William Dupont of Dupont chemical fame.  John died in 2010 following a prison sentence for murder in 1997.  The Dupont estate was known as Foxcatcher and contained many items with the symbol of the fox.  Also Dupont collected fox figurines with hundreds available for auction by Wiederseim.  There were four figurines believed to be knockoffs of the famous Renard Fox.  However collectors soon discoved that one was an actual Lalique Renard Fox figurine.  Instead of selling for the estimated $100 value it was bid up by 11 British and American bidders to over $204,000.  So now there are 7 Renard Fox’s known to exist.

When added to the other 29 the complete collection of 30 Lalique Car Mascot figurines would sell for around one million dollars.  The Ele Chesney Lalique Figurine collection is believe to be one of the best maintained collectons with a specially designed display case which individually lights up each figurine piece.

Lalique Figurines Car MASCOTS  (Complete set of 30 figurines)

Renard  Fox  Date introduced: December 9, 1930

Comète  Comet  Date introduced: August 24, 1925

Hibou  Owl  Date introduced: January 27, 1931

Epsom  Straining Head of Horse  Date introduced: June 5, 1929

Tête d’Épervier  Sparrow Hawk  Date introduced: January 21, 1928

Victoire  Spirit of the Wind  Date introduced: April 18, 1928

Coq Houdan  Strutting Cockerel   Date introduced: April 30, 1929

Grenouille  Frog   Date introduced: May 3, 1928

Vitesse  Speed   Date introduced: September 17, 1929

Tête de Paon  Peacock’s Head   Date introduced: February 3, 1928

Hirondelle  Swallow   Date introduced: February 10, 1928

Tête de Bélier  Ram’s Head   Date introduced: February 3, 1928

Lévrier  Greyhound    Date introduced: March 14, 1928

Naïade  Large Mermaid   Date introduced: 1920

Cinq Chevaux  Five Horses   Date introduced: August 26, 1925

Petite Libelulle  Small Dragonfly   Date introduced: April 12, 1928

Grande Libelulle  Large Dragonfly   Date introduced: May 23, 1928

Longchamps  Horse Head Single Mane  Date introduced: September 10, 1929

Pintade  Guinea Hen   Date introduced: September 28, 1929

Longchamps  Horse Head Double Mane   Date introduced: June 12, 1929

Sirène  Small Mermaid   Date introduced: 1920

Coq Nain  Bantam Cockerel   Date introduced: August 3, 1926

Faucon  Falcon   Date introduced: August 5, 1925

Tireur d’Arc  The Archer   Date introduced: August 3, 1926

Tête de Coq  Cockerel   Date introduced: February 3, 1928

Tête Daigle  Eagle’s Head   Date introduced: March 14, 1928

Sanglier  Boar   Date introduced: October 3, 1929

Chrysis  Kneeling Nude   Date introduced: March 21, 1931

Saint Christophe  St. Christopher   Date introduced: March 1, 1925

Perche  Perch   Date introduced: April 20, 1929

About Figurines hopes to continues to update you on Lalique figurines and the results of auctions.  Please visit RM Auctions, RLalique, Weiderseim Associates, and the New York Times for additional Lalique information.