René Lalique’s Exquisite Art Nouveau Necklace: 18K Gold, Enamel, and Seed Pearls ‘Collier de chien’

Dating from circa 1898, this rose branch plaque “collier de chien” necklace by René Lalique is composed of 18K gold, basse taille enamel, and seed pearls. The necklace centers a rectangular, slightly convex, pierced 18K gold plaque depicting a flowering and budding branch of roses sculpted in high relief,elaborately carved and chased front and reverse, with basse taille enamel leaves, completed by a multi-strand necklace of pearls. Extolled as a model of “jewel statuary” by an influential critic in Art et Décoration in 1899, this beautiful rose necklace is a forerunner of Lalique’s revolutionary work that was to astonish the art world at the Paris Exposition of 1900.