A glass fox radiator ornament thought to be a Lalique knockoff and included with four other decorative foxes in a single lot caught the eyes of sharp-eyed connoisseurs. Rather than fetching the estimated $100 to $150 for the lot, it brought home $204,750 for the Pennsylvania-based auction house of Wiederseim Associates. The discovery of this rare piece of Rene Lalique’s art brings to seven the count of such fox figurines known to exist.
Lalique’s auto mascots, which included various other figures such as horses, mermaids, saints, and seminude female forms gained momentum in 1925 at the Art Deco exposition in Paris. The artist created twenty-seven mascots in all, but few remain intact since life on the road in those days was dangerous to the life of a glass figurine boldly leading the way.
A complete set of Lalique’s radiator ornaments, expected to bring between $800,000 and $1,200,000, will be offered at auction by RM Auctions in Florida on March 10, 2012 in conjunction with the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance. Only three complete sets are known to exist.
Read more in Phil Patton’s article in the New York Times.
Posted March 5, 2012
