Probably the most spectacular piece of jewellery ever created by René Lalique, the ‘inventor’ of modern jewellery, this corsage ornament was presented with huge success at the 1900 Paris Exposition, where the artist was an absolute triumph.

The figure consists of an enormous dragonfly-woman in gold and enamel, with open, articulated wings in stained glass enamel enriched by diamonds. From the open mouth of the insect, with griffin claws, emerges a bust of a woman in chrysoprase, whose head is covered by a helmet decorated with two beetle figures in enamel and gold. The long body of the insect also features chalcedony in cabochon cut.

The corsage ornament combines two recurrent themes in Lalique’s work, namely the female figure and the insect she transforms into, giving rise to a hybrid woman/insect creature, at once attractive and repellent in equal measure. This play on opposites, a hallmark of the period’s style, is epitomised in this jewel.