Who knew They were Art

This incredible crystal ornament adorns an equally stunning Delage D8 SS100 Figoni Cabriolet at Pebble Beach. Hood ornament art of this era is often referred to under the more formal term of mascot. This one is the work of the great French glassmaker Rene Lalique. Original Lalique mascots today go for anywhere from $50,000 to $300,000. In fact, there is a whole book dedicated to just Lalique mascots. They were very popular on duPont cars, and on them the most popular mascot by Lalique was a crystal eagle head (see below).

Born in France in 1860, Rene Lalique began studying jewelry design after the death of his father. After recognition as an independent designer for the great jewelry houses of Cartier, Jacta, and Boucheron, Lalique took over a jewelry shop in Paris at the age of 25. He broke with the ornate, precious gem dominated genre of the day and developed his own innovative style, featuring a variety of materials and highlighting their distinctive properties in his works. In 1890, he began experimenting with glass. By 1900, he was already recognized as revolutionizing jewelry styles, earning the accolade as “the inventor of modern jewelry.”

A partnership with perfumer Coty in 1907 led to new glass bottle designs as Lalique became devoted to more industrial glass production techniques. This led to founding the Alsace Glassworks in 1921. It is still the world’s only Lalique factory.

Using many techniques for contrasting clear & frosted glass, patinas, enamels and stained glass, he created a unique and unmatched reputation as a premier glassmaker. He even designed for large architectural projects around the world, creating such details as walls of lighted glass, colored glass columns and chandeliers as well as the incredible interior fittings, cross and screens of St. Matthew’s Church in Millbrook, England.

Lalique’s hood mascots, four of which are still produced today, began in 1925 when he designed the Cinq Chevaux (5 horses) for his Citroen 5CV. Over the next 28 years he would design 30 different glass sculptures that became mascots. Many of the mascots could be lit in various colors and even made to get brighter as the car went faster. Today, some of the most expensive cars in the world from the ‘20s and ‘30s still sport their Lalique crystal mascots.

Only 99 D8S’s were produced between 1929 & 1933, and only seventeen exist today. This Figoni-styled convertible below was just one reason the D8S was nicknamed the “King of the Concours” in the early 1930s. It’s style is made all the more attractive with it’s Lalique mascot.