On the eve of the centenary of their congregation, due to be celebrated in 1931, the Sisters of the Faithful Virgin in Douvres-la-Délivrande in the Calvados region vowed to order a « large translucent crucifix whose sobriety and simplicity of design would symbolise the essential features of fidelity ». René Lalique’s unpredictable imagination produced a somewhat different vision, with a crucifix bathed in light. Depending on the hour of day and the season, the effect is of luminous transparency or matt opalescence, and the reflections of the day inundate the choir with an almost unreal whiteness. With its sumptuous profusion of lilies, it provides an atmosphere of purity and stillness conducive to prayer and reflection. This powerful piece reveals Lalique’s genius: his total mastery of light and glass.
