Baccarat, Crystal Cup, France, 1860

An elegant, teardrop-shaped crystal vase,delicately engraved with intricate plant and floral motifs. Its bronze base iscomposed of long, curved arms formed of tubular stems that end insmall spheres. On each base, anoval medallion is adorned with an antique-inspired female profile (reminiscent ofmedals or cameos), depicting Minerva.

Biography

The famous Baccarat crystal glassworks, whose origins date back to the 18thcentury, won its first gold medal at the 1823 Exposition desIndustrial Products in 1823, where it was praised for “the brilliance andfineness of the crystal” and became France’s leading crystal manufacturer.Baccarat was undoubtedly the only French manufacturer at the time that wasconsistently and masterfully represented at the various exhibitionsin which it participated, thereby earning honors andprestigious awards. A guiding principle “perfection of the material andthe cut,” appears in all the reports from the World’s Fairsbetween 1855 and 1867, where Baccarat crystalware dominated due to the quality of its crystal, deemed superior to that of Bohemia and England.