René Lalique Art Nouveau 18K Gold, Enamel and Seed Pearl "Collier de chien" Necklace

One of the most magnificent aspects of this necklace is the exquisite chasing of the rose blossom, buds and branch. In this period, when his studio was still located in the rue Therèse, Lalique collaborated closely with the workshop of Georges-Pierre Deraisme (1865- after 1930), an outstanding artisan and master "ciseleur." Deraisme, together with his foreman Thiénot and twenty employees, carried out the important work of the chasing precious metals, a technique critical to the realization of Lalique's sculptural gold jewelry in this period. Lalique's triumphs at the 1896 Paris Salon and at the Brussels Exposition Universelle, which earned him a Grand Prix, had expanded his clientele and commissions to the extent that he and his associates could barely cope with the work. Deraisme's name appears frequently in Lalique's design drawings, often accompanied by demands for urgent work to be completed over the weekend, even on Sundays. Their collaboration continued until 1908. When the art critic Roger Marx commented on this necklace upon seeing it exhibited the Paris Salon, he commended its sculptural suppleness, commenting that the gold retained a free, vibrant, delicate quality, displaying "the fullness and ductility of lovingly-kneaded wax." (As translated from Roger Marx's article "Les Maitres Décorateurs Français: René Lalique", in the periodical "Art et Decoration", 1899, v.2, p. 19.)