Adrian Alan
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A Fine Three Piece Baccarat Crystal Centrepiece Set. The Bronze work By Picard. ( 1890 )
| Artists: |
BACCARAT (1765-2005) |
| Dimensions: | 29.00cm wide 47.00cm high 64.00cm deep (11.42 inches wide 18.50 inches high 25.20 inches deep) |
| Description: |
A Fine Three Piece Baccarat Crystal Centrepiece Set. The Bronze Work by Picard.
Dimensions of Tazzas 16 cm h x 22 cm diam (6 in h x 9 in diam) Founded in 1764 under the patronage of Louis XV as Renault et Compagnie, the firm became known as the Compagnie des Cristalleries de Baccarat during the Nineteenth Century. Baccarat began to flourish at the beginning of the Nineteenth Century, as the effects of the Napoleonic Wars abated, and its reputation was consolidated by the official approval from various sovereigns and heads of state. At the 1823 Paris Exposition Nationale, it was Baccarat's crystalware that Louis XVIII was said to have particularly admired, appreciating its 'beautiful workmanship'. It was Charles X's visit to the crystalworks in 1828 however that had the most significant repercussions for the company. The crystalworks presented the monarch with a gift of two magnificent Medici Vases, a large crystal Ewer, a fifteen-piece Tea Service and a five-piece Water Set. The king then ordered a dinner service for the Tuilleries, while the Duchess d'Angoulême personally chose a set of eighteen glasses, described by her as 'sturdy, balanced, and perfect'. Later Louis-Philippe and Napoleon II also visited the crystalworks and were followed by a succession of French presidents and foreign heads of state. The Baccarat company was awarded a Gold medal at the French Exposition des Produits de l'Industrie in 1855 and has continued to carry off the top prizes ever since. In 1867, they exhibited a gigantic fountain twenty-four feet tall, with a basin ten feet in diameter, which it was said 'simply took visitors breath away'. With the continuing improvement in their manufacturing standards, the quality of Baccarat's 'crystal glass' improved and reached the highest level by the end of the Century, competing successfully with the Bohemian glass industry. Baccarat 'crystal glass' is highly regarded, not only for its unusual clarity, but also for its great solidity and weight. The fondeur and doreur Henri Picard was based in Paris from 1831 to 1864. The firm supplied services for the work on the apartments of the Emperor Napoleon III now in the Louvre. |
| Literature: |
Battie, D. and Cottle, S., 'Encyclopedia of glass', Conran Octopus, 1997.
Curtiss, Jean-Louis, 'Baccarat', Thames and Hudson 1992. |
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