"Siren and Frogs" carafe by Rene Lalique

Some of the best window shopping this Christmas season is being enjoyed at an exhibition of jewelry and glassware by Rene Lalique (1860-1945), currently on display at Tokyo's most elegant art gallery, the Teien. Held in the Art Deco building that was once the residence of a Japanese Imperial prince, and which features a stunning glass door and chandeliers designed by Lalique, the exhibition includes numerous works from the inspired and fertile mind of one of France's greatest craft artists.

Some of the pieces have to be seen to be believed, like his Brooch with Three Seahorses (ca. 1902-3), a composition in enameled gold using opals as bubbles, or his sumptuous Table Centerpiece With Three Peacocks (1920) in molded glass on a bronze stand.

Lalique attained the highest level of technique in a wide variety of materials, including gold, glass, gems, enamel, pearls and horn. Indeed one of the strengths of Lalique as a jeweler was his ability to incorporate relatively cheaper materials like glass and horn into jewelry without lessening the aesthetic effect. A good example of this is his Winter Scene pendant (1900). Made from gold and enameled glass, decorated with marquise-cut diamonds and a gray pearl, this exquisite work captures all the romance of the festive season. The simple beauty and confidence of his Comb With Two Swallows (1906-8), a design mainly in horn, contrasts well with the Corsage Ornament With Songbirds (1889), a beautiful but still unsure early work encrusted with diamonds that submerge its artistic motif.