Baccarat, Pair Of Basket-style Chandeliers, France, Circa 1880

A beautiful pair of chandeliers featuring, in the upper section,four foliated bronze volutes that support the structure.Inthe center, a wide decorative band features a frieze of flowers and rosetteson a patinated background, adding a neoclassical touch.Thelower section takes the form of a basket made of glass beadsstrung together in a net-like pattern. The piece is topped by a bronze finial shaped like apinecone.

Biography

Thefamous crystal manufacture of Baccarat, that dates back to the 18th century,was awarded its first medal in 1823, during the “Exposition des Produits del’Industrie” for the “brilliance and the sharpness of its crystal” and becamethen the most renowned French “cristallerie”. Baccarat was undoubtedly the onlyFrench manufacture, that exhibited steadily and magnificently its products atthe various Universal Exhibitions, and especially between 1855 and 1867.Reports of the Universal Exhibition, from 1855 to 1867, talk about the“perfection of the material and of its cut”, considered superior of those fromBohemia or England.