The Dragonfly corsage by René Lalique

Once in a while you meet a piece of art that just captivates you. This has been the case for me with the Dragonfly corsage by René Lalique and I would love to share the fascination of this brilliant piece as well as the artist and unique Art Nouveau style in which it was created.

The Artist

Few works capture the spirit of the Art Nouveau era quite like René Lalique’s Dragonfly Corsage — a stunning fusion of nature, symbology, and innovation. The piece was created around 1897–1898 in his Paris studio. René Lalique (1860–1945) began his career as a traditional jeweller, but quickly set himself apart by defying convention, pushing boundaries and embracing new techniques. While the late 19th century jewellery was dominated by precious gemstones like diamonds, Lalique championed other materials such as enamel, glass, horn, and semi-precious stones. He chose his materials based on aesthetics and artistic impact, not preciousness. His emphasis was on creating jewellery with symbology, imagination and otherworldliness. The Dragonfly corsage was first exhibited at the Exposition Universelle in Paris in 1900 where it was a great success and cemented Lalique as the defining artist of the Art Nouveau movement. A movement where organic forms, flowing lines, and mythological imagery reigned supreme.

The Dragonfly-Woman Hybrid

The Dragonfly Corsage is nearly 30 centimetres tall and could be described as more sculpture than adornment. Its form is both mesmerizing, magical and also slightly unsettling. It is a hybrid creature with the head and torso of a woman and the wings and body of a dragonfly.

Lalique’s design merges beauty and danger, reflecting the era’s fascination with femme fatale archetypes — women seen as both alluring and threatening. The insect-woman motif embodies transformation, flight, and the ephemeral nature of life, all recurring Art Nouveau themes.

Materials and Technique

Lalique combined gold, enamel, chrysoprase, moonstones, calcedony and diamonds to create an iridescent, lifelike effect. Each of the stones carried considered symbology leading the piece to symbolise Art Nouveau through, transformation, change, freshness and femininity. His innovative use of plique-à-jour enamel — a technique resembling stained glass — allowed light to pass through the wings, giving them an ethereal glow. This elevated the Dragonfly corsage to a status of wearable sculpture. New for the time, the wings and tail were segmented and hinged allowing for movement that would have made the dragonfly seem to shimmer and come alive - it must have been absolutely stunning seeing this piece come to life on a dark evening dress.

The corsage is today residing in the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum in Lisbon, where I will definitely try to see and experience it as soon as I can.

Dragonfly corsage photographs from the Calouste Glubenkian Museum website: René Lalique Room - Museu Calouste Gulbenkian

A Renaissance Feeling

A study trip to Florence in the footsteps of Giants

It seemed like such a wonderful idea when I booked my Florence study trip in the dark dampness of last winter. Today, it is my last day of the trip in this wonderfully inspiring city and I'm trying to put into words this overwhelming experience and wondering how I can best share it.

The course I have been attending is focussed on textural engraving in metals and is located right in the centre of Florence in a wonderful well equipped and atmospheric workshop. The course only covers half days, which is quite good as engraving is pretty hard on the fingers. Florence is a place that has been soaked in the production of wonderful art since the renaissance and maybe even before. Workshops like the one I'm attending covering various artforms can still be discovered all over the city, and of course giants within the arts have worked here, to name a few: Leonardo Da Vinci, Michelangelo and Botticelli. Having visited Florence before it has been a unique experience to work in one of these workshops and feel a very tiny inkling of what it must feel like working in such a stimulating environment both today and in the past.

Trying to connect to and understand this artistic environment further, I visited a few well known museums like the Uffizi Gallery, which is of course absolutely wonderful, but also sought to explore less well known places and artists. There is a lot going on in the art world in Florence, I was absolutely blown away by the light and sound show interpretation of Leonardo Da Vinci's life and works at the Cattedrale deli Immagine as well as by the museum/gallery of the present day jewellery artist Alessandro Dari. Such creativity, bravery and skill have been applied here ensuring these are experiences that leave a lasting impression. There are also some real hidden gems enabling you to get submerged into the renaissance period. The Museo di Palazzo Davanzati is a preserved building from the renaissance period and definitely worth a visit. Likewise, further wonderful fresco's from the period can be seen at the Capella Brancacci and Bionomini di San Martino.

If you are considering visiting Florence you can find my list of hidden gems (with links) below. I'm sure there are many more. Upon arrival I saw there were a lot of concerts on as well but unfortunately I did not have the energy to visit them. Which I guess gives me a very good excuse to visit again - Ciao

My list of hidden Florentine gems

Alessandro Dari museum an astonishing jewellery exhibition and experience. Feels like a universe created from Jules Verne books - Highly recommended.

Buonomini Di San Martino a lovely tranquil chapel, a very nice place for a little sit down and reflection. The frescos gives a feeling of being immerged in renaissance Florence - Highly recommended.

Cattedrale deli Immagine - Da Vinci Experience. What a fantastic experience, I was gobbed-smacked and will remember this for a very long time - Highly recommended.

Cortile dei Fiorentini (archaeological museum). I thought there were some real enlightenment here, particularly in the Etruscan section - recommended

La Specola - Museo di Storia Naturale. As a lover of Natural History and looking for textures and patterns i nature this museum is well worth a visit.  

Museo di Palazzo Davanzati. A unique chance to experience the preserved home of a renaissance family. I am not sure this can be experience many other places in the world - Highly recommended.

Capella Brancacci

Museo della Moda e del Costume. Beautiful and very inspirational exhibition in the Pitti Palace - well worth the visit

From Ancient Egypt with love - a bespoke necklace

The creation of a bespoke necklace featuring a charming and tiny Ancient Egyptian cat amulet

Tiny Bastet silver amulet from Ancient Egypt and it's bespoke necklace.

This April, I was asked by a friend to create a bespoke necklace for a much loved Ancient Egyptian amulet in the form of a tiny silver cat. When I say tiny, the cat really was tiny - just over half a centimetre tall. It was a challenge working with such a delicate, historically valuable and very small amulet, but also an absolute joy as she was such a stunningly beautiful and charming little cat. First she had to be cleaned as there was quite a lot of glue on her. Then I needed to consider a necklace / chain design that would embrace her personality and unique story.

The Ancient Egyptians worshiped many different deities with connection to the animal world. Horus the falcon and Anubis the jackal might be better known, but there was also a cat deity named Bastet. Bastet was originally a lioness warrior but later became a cat goddess associated with the sun, pregnancy, protection, family, music, dance and joy.

For this necklace it was important that the Bastet amulet was the focal point despite her small size. Hence I made a wirework frame in oxidized silver to match her colour, rustic beauty and to keep the necklace light. Tiny stones were incorporated in the chain. I used Tiger Eye, a stone which is linked to Bastet; Turquoise, Carnelian and gold beads representing Ancient Egypt; and dark blue Sapphires that struck a beautiful tone with the oxidised silver. The Tiger Eye stones were designed to hang on either side of Bastet to frame her and a single Carnelian stone was added to one side to underline her distinctive personality and create a subtle asymmetry.

It was an absolute joy working with this little cat and I became very fond of her through the process. It was fabulous to see and hear my friend's reaction which was, I quote " I have just unwrapped my Bastet necklace, Marianne she is so perfect. Totally wonderfully perfect. I will never take this necklace off".

Wonderful feedback and Bastet, being the bringer of joy, came from Ancient Egypt with love.

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Tea break at my jewellery workshop - a wonderful place to be.

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