Line Vautrin
Reflective Sculpture, Soleil à Pointes n°3, 1955–56
Talosel resin, colored mirrored glass, convex mirror
49 by 49 by 4 cm (19¼ by 19¼ by 1⅝ in.)
69693
Executed in 1955–56. Designated by Vogue Magazine as the “poetess of metal,” French designer Line Vautrin is most famous for dazzling Paris in the early twentieth century with her gilded...
Executed in 1955–56.
Designated by Vogue Magazine as the “poetess of metal,” French designer Line Vautrin is most famous for dazzling Paris in the early twentieth century with her gilded jewelry and decorative mirrors. Born in Paris in 1913 to a family of metal workers, Vautrin became familiar with metal design from an early age, leaving school by the age of 15 to work full time. She innovated a practice called Talosel, a process in which the artist heated cellulose resin and formed it into cut mirror shapes, which she coined and patented herself. This process was integral to the artist's work, specifically for her mirrors. Rather than placing a flat mirror at the center, Vautrin opted for a convex surface, which reflected a fish-eye, nearly surreal image; this was likely influenced by the designer’s brief stint working in the studio of Surrealist fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli in the late 1930s and early 1940s. Crafted with the same detail as her jewelry, these mirrors made their way into many haute-bourgeoisie homes at the era. By the time Soleil à Pointes n°3 was in production, Vautrin had already gained notoriety, particularly in relation to her presentation at the Exposition Universelle in Paris in 1937, and her subsequent shop opening first near the Champs-Élysées, and later on Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré. In 1992 Vautrin received a prize for her innovation by the Société d'Encouragement aux Métiers d’Art. In 1999, two years after her passing, the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris held a retrospective of her works.
Designated by Vogue Magazine as the “poetess of metal,” French designer Line Vautrin is most famous for dazzling Paris in the early twentieth century with her gilded jewelry and decorative mirrors. Born in Paris in 1913 to a family of metal workers, Vautrin became familiar with metal design from an early age, leaving school by the age of 15 to work full time. She innovated a practice called Talosel, a process in which the artist heated cellulose resin and formed it into cut mirror shapes, which she coined and patented herself. This process was integral to the artist's work, specifically for her mirrors. Rather than placing a flat mirror at the center, Vautrin opted for a convex surface, which reflected a fish-eye, nearly surreal image; this was likely influenced by the designer’s brief stint working in the studio of Surrealist fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli in the late 1930s and early 1940s. Crafted with the same detail as her jewelry, these mirrors made their way into many haute-bourgeoisie homes at the era. By the time Soleil à Pointes n°3 was in production, Vautrin had already gained notoriety, particularly in relation to her presentation at the Exposition Universelle in Paris in 1937, and her subsequent shop opening first near the Champs-Élysées, and later on Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré. In 1992 Vautrin received a prize for her innovation by the Société d'Encouragement aux Métiers d’Art. In 1999, two years after her passing, the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris held a retrospective of her works.