Baccarat, Chandelier, France, Circa 1880, 19th Century

18-lightchandelier in gilded bronze and cut and faceted crystal attributed to Baccarat. Composed of a centralshaft in blown and molded crystal, ending in a gilded bronze sphere from whichspring eighteen light arms arranged over three levels. The whole is embellishedwith garlands of octagons and numerous pendants creating a cascading effect,naturally guiding the eye towards the imposing blown crystal ball thatcompletes the ensemble.  

Biographie 

The famous Baccarat crystal factory, whose origins date back to the 18th century,won its first gold medal at the Exhibition of Products of French Industry in1823, where it was acclaimed for "the brilliance and finesse of thecrystal" and became the leading crystal factory in France. Baccarat isundoubtedly the only French industry at the time to be consistently andmasterfully represented during the various exhibitions in which itparticipated, thereby winning honors and prestigious awards. A key phrase, "the perfection of the material and the cut," recurs in all the UniversalExhibition reports between 1855 and 1867, where the Baccarat crystal factorydominated with the quality of its crystal, judged superior to those of Bohemia and England.