Gentle Giant
In celebration of Franco-chinese relations, Lalique collaborates with UNESCO Artist of Peace, Han Meilin
In 1888, René Lalique founded his eponymous jewellery brand where he himself designed special pieces made of nely-wrought gold. He combined it with other elements like semiprecious stones, pearls, ivory, and even enamel and glass. roughout the years, Lalique has continued to specialise in creating pieces out of crystal, which is apparent even in their ventures with contemporary artists.
is year, in celebration of 55 years of Francochinese relations, Lalique collaborates with the distinguished Chinese artist Han Meilin, a UNESCO Artist of Peace, to create delicate pieces that share their founder’s source of inspiration: nature. e result is a collection of panda e gies, which Meilin envisioned to symbolise the bond between the two nations.
Since the Tang dynasty, the panda has long been o ered as a diplomatic gi of friendship. It is also a recurring subject in Meilin’s works, something that is evident upon glancing at his repertoire. Among these is an ink drawing that has been modelled as a postage stamp issued in China. For this special endeavour, Lalique allowed the artist to fashion these gentle creatures in pure crystal.
One of the biggest challenges met in creating these delicate pieces was to give justice to the expressiveness of the original sculptures. is, of course, also had to be done with utmost nesse. e extra-large panda was created through a centuries-old lost-wax technique which the brand’s artisans revived. Each one was produced in a plaster mould which was then red and cooled for hundred of hours before being cut and polished to nish.
In keeping with Chinese custom, a waiting period of one hundred days came to pass before the Lalique crystal pandas were baptised. Meilin chose the names “Yuanyuan” for the seated male panda, and “Meng-meng” for the female who is lying down. ese names mean “accomplishment” and “dream” respectively, and symbolise the rst panda to be born in France: Yuanmeng. Yuan-meng has been at the Beauval Zoo since 2017, and has sprung from parents who have lived in France since 2012.
By wielding Meilin’s expertise and the Lalique brand’s brilliance, two highly-esteemed bodies successfully created a collection of great importance.
e Panda Collection not only marks a milestone in diplomatic a airs, but also celebrates the success of shared talents.