Home»All Photographs»Moving Art As Art»Automobiles' Mascots As Art (free)»Crystal Mascots As Art

“René Lalique made some of the most-beautiful and most-prized mascots,” according to a summary about mascots at The Nethercutt Collection in Sylmar, Calif. “Lalique had been a highly acclaimed and fashionable jeweler in Paris before he began working exclusively in glass in 1913.

“Lalique made an enormous range of articles in glass, including vases, bowls, perfume bottles, ashtrays, clock cases, lamps and much more. He began making automobile mascots in the 1920s and continued to make them well into the 1930s. Like all Lalique creations, they are considered sculptural works of art.”

I can attest to their profound beauty, and you can see many of them at The Nethercutt Collection, whose public museum offers free admission to all. My photos do not do the mascots justice. If you live in or visit the Los Angeles area, Nethercutt is a must-see. I would also buy the book on the museum. It’s worth far more than Nethercutt charges.

“These stunning crystal mascots were an expensive and rather outrageous choice for the automobile owner,” Nethercutt notes. “Most are mounted on simple metal bases. However, Lalique also developed a cylindrical metal base that concealed a light bulb and colored filter. This illuminated the mascot, creating an especially dramatic effect at night.

“The popularity of Lalique mascots inspired many glass manufacturers to create their own mascots. Several are on display at {Nethercutt}, and are identified by their creator’s name or as unsigned.”

A Breves’ Lalique Galleries’ advertisement for Lalique mascots captures the beauty of these priceless artworks:

“The Height of Car Fashion,” is what the ad proclaimed. “Lalique Illuminated Mascots” it also blared in big letters.

“They are exquisite renderings in glass of the inspiration of a master designer. Crowning the radiator or the scuttle of the car, they attempt to almost live in their brilliance and form. They are as hard as metal to withstand rough wear.

“These mascots are as easily fitted, on either the scuttle or the radiator cap, as ordinary models. They are supplied on a metal base which contains lamp and connections for internal illumination of the mascot. The base carries a bolt which is used for anchorage in the ordinary way.”