Model No: 1126 Archer. Created August 1926
Son of Zeus and Alcmene, Heracles had a most dangerous life and set about many tasks of which, thanks to his strength, he was each time victorious. Represented many times in bronze and stone, often shown with his legendary bow and arrows which never missed their mark, Heracles was perhaps most famously modelled by Antoine Bourdelle.
In 1926, René LALIQUE transcended many of these sculptures, surprisingly combining the power of this hero and god with the fragility of glass. The Archer appears muscular and confident, aiming into the airstream of the car.
This was the only model created by Lalique in 1926.
The Lalique Archer would have been an appropriate choice for owners of Pierce-Arrow cars. The American car manufacturer already affixed an archer to the fronts of their models. These decorative mascots were not only an advertisement for the company, but were also a symbol of the car owner's wealth and good taste.
Height: 13cm
Clear (white) glass press molded
Examples with a molded signature in relief or intaglio wheel cut signature exist.
Price (1932 Lalique et Cie Catalogue): 285FF
Breves of Knightsbridge, London UK titled this model ’The Archer’ and listed a price of £3/3/0 ‘unilluminated' or £4/4/0 ‘for light’ using the patented Breves illuminated mount. A bulb was 3/s and Duty was 10/6.
Nil Melior, a prominent auto accessories company whose showrooms were located at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York, listed the Archer for $40 including a chromium plated base. In an earlier catalogue it also appeared as "Archer" listed at $35, with an illuminated base available for an additional $5.
Other names for this mascot - Archer, The Archer, Tireur D'Arc. Mascotte, Hood Ornament, Mascotte, Car Mascot, Bouchon de Radiateur, Radiator Cap.
Appeared in 1928 and 1932 Lalique Catalogue. Removed from 1937 Catalogue. Also available as a presse-papier (paperweight).
No known reissue in crystal post 1947, not marketed today.
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