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L&T 200

A Life with Lalique

6 January 2026

Joy McCall

As Lyon & Turnbull reaches its 200th year, we’re taking a moment to recognise the depth of experience across the team, representing more than 840 years of combined specialist knowledge.

Our Head of Lalique, Joy McCall, reflects on nearly three decades of experience, from first encounters with iconic pieces to handling significant collections and considering their place within the broader history of design. It reflects a long-standing curiosity, the relationships built along the way, and the value of continuing to learn.

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Specialist

Joy McCall

Associate Director, Senior Design Specialist

I don’t know when I fell in love with Lalique. However, I know I joined the Bonhams Decorative Arts Department (as it was called then) on 28 November 1996 and Lalique was being offered for sale. A Perruches vase in electric blue was on the front of the auction catalogue.

By 2000, I had a good idea of what I was handling and was excited to offer the cire perdue Quatre Pigeons vase for sale, which went on to achieve £95,000. In 2002, I felt privileged to handle the Christopher Vane Percy collection. Christopher wrote the first book on Lalique in the 1970s and in additional to being pioneering venture, it remains a significant source of information.

What appeals to me most is René Lalique’s mastery of the material. Glass became a vehicle for expressing his creativity and imagination, allowing him to explore an extraordinary range of forms and ideas. His subjects were wide-ranging and often interrelated, and in working with glass he pushed it to the limits of its sculptural plasticity.

Lalique utilised variations in thickness of the glass, contrasting surface finishes and maximised qualities of translucency. Besides his works being functional I find many of them to be highly tactile – I love handling the pieces. His work remains luxurious and timeless, and it’s the small nuances that are of enormous interest to me. Why do certain colours achieve higher prices? What are the rare colour-ways? What makes an outstanding example of a particular design?

"During the time I have been at Lyon & Turnbull, I have been thrilled to bring some extraordinary works to auction and to achieve some incredible results."

- Joy McCall, Head of Lalique

Other than Tiffany, there are few designers who consistently command enough market interest to justify specialist sales. I’m as fascinated by the people who collect these works, and those who choose to sell, as I am by the objects themselves. Building relationships, seeing collections formed and handling rare or outstanding examples is a constant source of interest.

Achieving record prices is, of course, satisfying and it often comes down to timing: understanding where demand lies for a particular design, colour or form and bringing it to the market at the right moment. The market is always changing and keeping a breast of what is happening is key.

I enjoy being involved in design sales and am particularly excited to be working on an Art Nouveau and Art Deco sale this year. Seeing these works in a wider context, through handling design objects from 1860 to the present day, continues to sharpen my understanding. Nothing exists in isolation, and that broader perspective is central to how I work. As I approach my 30th year in the business, it’s still the chance to keep learning that keeps me engaged.