Marc Lalique 1946: Giant Bottle for Nina Ricci's "A Coeur Joie". Signed. 8 1/4".

Description

Contrary to what some great Lalique experts (and some far less great...) often write, René Lalique never designed a bottle for Nina Ricci: The reason is simple... Ricci's first perfume came out in 1946 and René Lalique was dead. There is a heart-shaped Ricci bottle attributed to him in the big Marcilhac book (page 942) but it dates from 1944, was a study ordered by Robert Ricci (Nina's son) in preparation for a future perfume launch and René Lalique was already very ill. The creation is really the work of Marc Lalique, René's son.
"A Coeur Joie" (To your Heart's Content) was Nina Ricci's first perfume, not launched before 1946 and Marc Lalique designed all the bottles for the fragrance and its Eau de Toilette called "Eau de Coeur Joie". The bottle is very simple, a slim circle discretely adorned with stylized foliage around, and the initials NR sculpted on the neck (photo 7).
This particular bottle is the largest made, 21 cm or 8 1/4" tall. It was obviously used for the Eau de Toilette. It is rare because the bottle's glass stopper did not last and was changed as early as 1948. It was replaced by a cheaper metallic screw-top which, in its turn, caused the neck groves and initials "NR" to be removed and painted instead on one of the bottle's faces. This is a Baby-Boom time original.
The signature on the bottom reads "BOTTLE MADE BY LALIQUE FRANCE" (Photo 9).
The condition is excellent and it is ready to contain your favorite Eau de Toilette, to be used as a liquor decanter or simply to be displayed as it is beautiful.