Ok Ok, there never was a Rene Lalique Calypso Light Fixture back in the day. But somehow they keep popping up, and we’ve had a few questions about them in our overloaded mailbag from time to time. So we figured with the latest inquiry, to clear it up not just for our current readers, but for anyone down the road that might be looking up at 5 or 6 mythical nude siren figures swirling around an overhead opalescent glass bowl shaped light fixture sporting an R. Lalique signature!
The inquiry:
I would be grateful for any help you can give me in authenticating a chandelier I own.
It would appear to be an Ondines Chandelier by R Lalique but I cannot find any reference on your or other websites to chandeliers appearing with the Ondines design.
I believe that the item has been in my family for at least 60 years. The bowl itself is 9 cm high and 30 cm diameter (approximately). The faint R Lalique stamp appears in the centre of the base of the bowl.
I attach three photos including one showing the Lalique stamp.
I am hoping that you can let me know whether the chandelier was made as such, is a bowl later converted into a chandelier, and in either case whether it is a genuine Lalique piece.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Regards
Mr. X
The reply:
Hi Mr. X. Thanks for visiting the website and for contacting us.
The bowl is not Ondines (6 sirens), but Calypso (5 sirens).
https://rlalique.com/rene-lalique-calypso-bowl
This appears (we don’t authenticate items that are not fully visible, and with the hardware on, your piece it is in that category) to be a converted bowl, with all the hardware added. Forgetting all the facts, think about Rene Lalique …. the undecorated flat bottom is the giveaway…. it wouldn’t** be like that for something made and sold by him as an overhead fixture …. it just doesn’t go over.
Because Calypso is bigger (Ondines bowl is 8 inches), it is more often seen converted to a hanging or ceiling fixture.
This is not the first of these we’ve seen of course:
https://rlalique.com/rene-lalique-calypso-chandelier
And see this very similar 2-siren model, which was sold as a fixture for the difference in how it would look from below as an original light fixture design by R. Lalique:
https://rlalique.com/rene-lalique-deux-sirenes-chandelier
Best Regards,
KOL
We could have skipped a lot of typing by just observing that it appears the sirens are still busy luring the unwary onto the rocks! **
And we didn’t get into the number of hanging cords with the questioner, but it appears from the photos that there are only three, and four would be much more typical for these hanging bowl fixtures from Rene Lalique.
Finally, on a more esoteric level, there is the whole question of altered items typically being deemed drastically less desirable and less valuable (or nearly valueless in many cases) by collectors when Lalique himself never would have put a curse on pieces put to good alternate uses. Usable art glass brought into the homes of everyday people; Lalique himself spoke about it. Heck, he invented it.
And about alterations, he drilled holes in many bowls (but not Calypso or Ondines) to attach hanging cords, and marketed them as light shades. He cut bowls in halves and quarters and called them appliques. He affixed seals to small dishes and called them ashtrays. He sold car mascots as paperweights, and re-used parts from some pieces to make others. He even drilled holes into the sides of vases for running electric cords to convert them to lamps. Heaven Forfend!
Just thinking out loud ……. well actually, just typing silently :).
** Of course a plain bottom did not prevent the marketing of Madagascar as a light fixture. But this is not really a direct comparison as the bottom of Madagascar though big, is crudely ancient (not in a bad way) and not flat.
*** In Greek mythology, the sirens lured nearby sailors to wreck their ships on the rocks by attracting them with wondrous sounds. Just above is The Siren, a wonderful painting by the 19th century British artist Edward Armitage. Even today, the phrase “siren song” is used to describe something that sounds great but is not going to end well.
The works of Rene Lalique, be they plates, bowls, or what have you (or what you don’t have?); they all have one thing in common. A picture is worth a thousand words!*** Or our point better made: Two pictures say it all!
We wrote the seller and never got a satisfactory answer. How could we. Here is what the seller replied when we told her we think the photos might be of two different items:
First up, a silver rimmed Lalique Veronique Opalescent Bowl, #397. These silver rims were added post factory to pieces both in the period and as recently as yesterday :). Two reasons of course. First is decorative and personal preference, maybe a retailer enhancement (we know that sounds like three reasons but it’s really only one if you think about it). Second is to cover up damage and restore the usability of a piece. We always look at these with great caution, but the concept is found attractive by many potential buyers and silver rimmed items are saleable barring other problems. This is a good looking, somewhat opalescent bowl, in apparent good condition, and hardly seems a risk at the current price of around $125 U.S. dollars. The auction ends October 25th. Here is a link to a saved/cached image version of the original 
Next up is a piece that every time we see it, we think about the old Superman TV show in black and white seen on the nearly round TV screens of the early 60’s ….. it’s a vase, it’s stemware, it’s a chalice …… no, it’s a bowl (it’s also a stretch, but it did come to mind)! The Saint Denis bowl #388, in apparent good condition (the seller notes the bowl is slightly cloudy), black enamel on the stem, and under $10 to start with no reserve. Hmmmm. Hard to pass up. If you were wondering, Saint Denis is now basically engulfed as a suburb of Paris. The cathedral there is rich in history, being famous as the place where French Queens were crowned, and French Kings were buried! Are these two things related? The auction ends October 28th. Here is a link to a saved/cached image version of the original 
Third on the list is the early, smaller (300 pages or so) edition of Lalique Par Lalique, 1977. $9.99 no reserve, with dustcover, in good condition, and $6 shipping in the US. Seems it would be cheap as chips, if it were in Britain of course. Oh …. and signed by someone (see photo)! If your name is Dick, this has to be hard to pass up. 🙂 The auction ends October 27th. Here is a link to a saved/cached image version of the original 
Fourth on the list is the Rene Lalique Vase Myrrhis, a rare and not so great looking vase (opinions vary), but if you buy by the pound or the inch, a bargain at its current price of $160 and no reserve. And to be fair, a bargain for however you buy if you can get it near this price. The auction ends October 28th. Here is a link to a saved/cached image version of the original 
We’ve listed all of these items in our 
On October 27th, at Sotheby’s London, it’s hard to get excited about the rare Oreilles Gravees Decanter or the Motif Decoratif Deux Perruches, both of which are standout lots in their own right, because of the great Deux Cigales Vase on offer. Thought to be unique (especially if you are the owner or the auction house), this 32 centimeter vase is likely the same one formerly owned by Glen and Mary Lou Utt. They even found a place in their seminal work Lalique Perfume Bottles to show a photo of the vase!
And in case you didn’t notice the obvious, have you figured out yet where the design for the outfit for Darth Vader in the Star Wars movies came from? Heck talkies* weren’t even developed until the early 1920’s, and here, around 1912, the great Lalique already had the main costume design for a series of outer space high tech flicks that wouldn’t come along for more than half a century after that. Lalique was a true visionary that understood the future in ways scholars and scientists are just beginning to realize (and see 
Anyway, if you’re serious about Rene Lalique vases, or if you just worship the work of the great Lalique, then this vase is nearly a religious experience. You might say Amazing Vase instead of Amazing Grace. Which brings us to Christie’s in New York on October 21st.
The foregoing items might cause you to overlook some more typical rare and good looking pieces that we also thought to bring to your attention. In Florida on October 21st, what looks like a fantastic nearly white opalescent Thais statue is coming up at a local Florida auction house. Also on the 21st in East Sussex in the UK at Gorringes, the Veilleuse Brule-Parfums Perfume Burner Roses and the wood and glass box Chrysanthemes. In France on the 26th of October, the Perruches Bowl in mint green opalescent glass! And not big money, but as cool as anything R Lalique; at Christies London on October 20th, the pair of Libellule Knife rests, one of Lalique’s most creative tableware designs, and nearly impossible to find in good condition (check these and anything else out for yourself of course :).
And a few decorative arts auctions with good numbers of Rene Lalique auction items and several outstanding pieces: In Germany at Quittenbaum on the 19th of this month there are 30 scattered lots, many appearing to be of good quality, such as the Coral Rouge Perfume Bottle (with original box) for Forvil. In Bordeaux France on the 15th, a great selection of rare perfume bottles, and at Woolley and Wallis in the UK on the 14th, the vases Pensees with black enamel, and Papillons amongst others.
A short note that the 
The tournon bowl coupe is a reasonably rare and large R Lalique bowl model. The Monument Colorado seller states:
Monument Colorado is a small town just north of the U.S. Air Force Academy, a place, including the Chapel in the photo below, not unfamiliar to this writer. It’s between Colorado Springs (also NORAD, Cheyenne Mountain, Pikes Peak) and Denver. History and scenery are all over this great area in the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. For example, in 1893, the 33 year old college professor Katherine Lee Bates headed to Colorado Springs to teach a summer course at Colorado College. While there, she went to the top of Pikes Peak; no easy feat traveling most of the way up the mountain in a horse drawn wagon and then riding a mule and walking to get to the top. She was so inspired when she reached the summit (over 14,000 feet above sea level), she wrote a poem upon returning to her hotel, entitled America.
Bates would later recount, “….. I felt great joy. All the wonder of America seemed displayed there, with the sea-like expanse.” Her poem America was first published on July 4th 1895 in a church publication called The Congregationalist. By 1910, the words of the poem were combined with a tune written by a church organist and choir director, Samuel A. Ward. The combination quickly caught on with the public and the song is as popular today in the United States as it ever has been.
The Arthur Johnson and Sons Auction House in Nottingham are offering a few nice looking Rene Lalique Glass items at their sale on August 8th. An opalescent R Lalique Car Mascot Vitesse is the Lalique headliner, but two other R Lalique designed lots are also in the sale; the reasonably rare Rene Lalique Vase Montargis, and the attractive and sizable R Lalique Coupe Plate Calypso in opalescent glass. The 8 inch Montargis sports an estimate of 700 to 1050 British Pounds, and the 38 cm Calypso 900 to 1350 pounds. The Vitesse is estimated at 5000 to 8000 pounds, which seems pretty reasonable barring any “issues” of note.
A couple hours north of London in the heart of the East Midlands, and pretty close to the center of all of England, Nottingham is rich in history. And yes, they still elect a Sheriff there. His title, if you can believe it, is Sheriff of Nottingham! Coincidentally this is the same title as the historical bad guy and adversary of Robin Hood, whose folklore fame has continued to grow since medieval times. Mr. Hood, is shown here in the hood (both literally and figuratively) in a memorial statue in Nottingham. The only thing we don’t know about all the hood stuff, is if his arrow is pointing toward the location of the hood ornament. 🙂 A bit rough, but it all ties together pretty well. And of course, there is the totally unsubstantiated rumor, which we just started, that Rene Lalique used Robin Hood as the sentimental model for the Lalique Car Mascot Archers! Seriously, notice the resemblance?
And if you are going to make the trip to try and snag the Vitesse, take some time to stop by the circa 1550’s Wollaton Hall and it’s famous deer park (probably no deer hunting there by commoners; where is Robin when you need him?). The Hall, shown in the photo here, is the site of numerous events each year, and has a rich history all its own which is a bit long for this post. But you can find more info at the 
Bonhams and Goodman in Sydney, Australia had several moderately priced pieces of RLalique at their Antiques and Interior Sale on August 17th, 2008. The high seller among the RLalique, and an unusual item to boot, was a rare Rene Lalique green opalescent Gui #1 bowl. It made $1464 AUS including the premium against a spot on estimate of $1200 to $1500 AUS. The green opalescent plates and bowls seldom appear at auction, and the coloring obviously raised the price of this bowl compared to the value of the typical opalescent example. The rest of the results can be found at