Lalanne

Ohhh Lalanne

Claude Lalanne worked alongside her Husband Francois-Xavier Lalanne from 1956 as sculptors and designers of unique furniture, drawing influence from all aspects of nature brought together by a sense of art and utility. Much rarer are Claude Lalannes' Jewellery designs which are unusual and organic in their appearance with botanical influences coming from themes of 'The Natural', which are evident not only in her fabulous sculptures and pieces of furniture, but also in her charming and decorative jewellery pieces. Their exquisite and intricate design which encapsulates the imagination of the Lalannes' draws a large following of loyal enthusiasts and collectors to their work.

Claude Lalanne would come to describe herself as a 'story teller' rather than an animal sculptor and through her Jewellery designs Lalanne was able to express a unique and distinctive impression of 'Natural Jewellery'. It is this self-proclaimed identification as a 'story teller' which would again identify her jewellery as sought after by collectors as well as art and jewellery enthusiasts alike. What is more, as Lalannes' jewellery pieces were made for specialist exhibitions, fashion shows and select individuals, rather than for retail, they are highly collectable. Indeed, fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent became a great admirer of the Lalannes' work, in particular Claude's jewellery, and became a personal collector, going on to collect several of her jewellery pieces for his private collection. Throughout the 1970's Lalanne would design a range of jewellery and belts for Yves Saint Laurent's fashion collections parading her jewellery on catwalks across the globe.

This particular piece of Lalanne jewellery was originally given to a Greek Minister by Claude Lalanne in the 1980's, and what makes this jewellery piece even more special is that the majority of jewellery produced by Claude Lalanne was fashioned in bronze or copper, whereas this rare item has been cast in 18ct gold. With recent Lalanne jewellery sales commanding large audiences at auction this is an exciting item to be on sale at Fellows and will draw quite an interest.

Ultimately, whether it is a sculpture, furniture or jewellery, it is the individuality and creativity of each Lalanne piece that has maintained collectors' interest in the Lalannes' work. It is for this reason, that whenever a Lalanne design appears for sale there is always a large following, willing to once again prove that, in particular, the jewellery of Claude Lalanne has had a widespread impact on the world of art and the world of fashion.

This Lalanne torque necklet will feature in our Antique and Modern Jewellery Auction on Thursday 2nd of June 2011 and commands an estimate of £5,000 - £7,000.