René Lalique, Dragonfly woman corsage ornament, 1897 - 1898

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Lalique reinvented jewelry. A contemporary asked, "Prior to René Lalique, what was jewelry? The old jewel was based upon the idea of wealth; the new is built upon an artistic idea." Jewelry had relied on gems, particularly diamonds, and on precious metals. But between about 1892 and 1897 Lalique developed an approach that emphasized artistry over intrinsic value. He introduced horn and other new materials and made extensive use of glass, enamel, ivory, and semiprecious stones. Lalique especially loved the ever-changing iridescence of opals. It has been said that where the old jewelry sparkled, Lalique's glowed.

It triumphed at the Paris World's Fair of 1900. Photographs show crowds pressed against the glass of Lalique's window displays. One of the pieces he showed was this remarkable corsage ornament, considered by many to be his masterwork. It was purchased by the wealthy collector Calouste Gulbenkian; his wife was the only person ever to have worn it. It would have moved with her -- the long spine is articulated and the wings hinged to flutter. In that sense, and in its finely observed detail, Lalique's piece has a remarkable degree of naturalism. He was interested in the specific ot the generic, in individuals not species. This corsage ornament is exact -- and imaginary.

Emerging from the jaws of a chimera (part serpent, part lion) is a woman/ dragonfly. The dragonfly was an especially popular art nouveau motif, a favorite of Lalique, Louis Comfort Tiffany, and Émile Gallé, all of whom would have seen examples in Japanese art. Probably its popularity in France grew after translation of a series of Japanese poems (Judith Gautier, Poëmes de la libellule [Poems of the Dragonfly], 1885).

But why this conflation of dragonfly and woman? On one level, the two are connected through language: the small iridescent blue and bronze dragonflies, called "damselflies" in English, are demoiselles (young ladies) in French. But probably of greater significance is the idea of metamorphosis. Interest in biological transformations had been spurred by Darwin's theories of evolution. Yet even this fails to offer satisfactory explanation. Here is a very different sort of metamorphosis, more psychic than physical. It reveals something of fin-de-siècle views on the nature of women -- of women as an embodiment of nature, instinctual and seductive.

Learning Activities

Art

• Research plique à jour and other enamel techniques.

• Use sculpting clay to create jewelry based on an imaginary animal.

Social Science

• Discuss the size and type of jewelry worn in relation to changing fashion.

Humanities

• Read and discuss myths of metamorphosis.

• Research the nineteenth-century reception of Darwin's Origin of the Species and its influences in various spheres, including art.

Enamel For jewelers an insect's diaphanous wings were a perfect use for plique à jour enamel. This transparent enamel was suspended without backing in a metal frame -- much like stained glass. The difficult technique, described by Renaissance goldsmith Benvenuto Cellini, had been lost until its rediscovery by French enamelers in the mid-nineteenth century.

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