Rene Lalique 1931: Rare & Documented "Mocking Goldfinch" Paperweight. 4" Fair.

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Here is a very interesting "bird" paperweight, far rarer than the 1929 "Moineaux" (sparrows) which have been manufactured for decades and simplified to the point of non-recognition as the years went by: The "Chardonnerêt Moqueur" (mocking goldfinch) paperweight dates from the same period (1931) but it is totally different. It is smaller and the design is graphically more incisive than the sparrows. It is part of a trilogy; The two other goldfinches are "Timide" (shy) and "Hardi" (daring). Also, because so few have been produced in comparison to the "moineaux", they have kept their original character much better. The story of these paperweights is curious: The 3 goldfinches were all designed and sold in 1931 but they never were included in the Lalique catalogs of 1932 and 1937. They were just offered in the René Lalique stores as an alternative to the sparrows. Maybe they were just considered a project with which Lalique carried on for a decade (1931-1940). It is almost as if Lalique had decided to "try" a second line and had eventually focused back on the "moineaux", because the demand for them was so overwhelming. When one is found (there are not many surviving, actually, they were only made during 10 years and not nearly with the sparrows' success), it is also often not signed (this one is not), but for the skeptical minds out read more

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