Articles
Large Baccarat crystal chandelier ball *. XIXth period
Note a small chip on the underside of the ball.
is a crystal factory located in the municipality of Baccarat in the department of Meurthe-et-Moselle, in Lorraine in France. In 1764 King Louis XV gave permission to found a glassworks in the town of Baccarat in Lorraine to the bishop of Metz Louis-Joseph de Montmorency-Laval (1761-1802). The vast enclosure of the Compagnie des Cristalleries de Baccarat almost merged with the small town of Baccarat. The production consisted of the manufacture of window panes, mirrors and glass services. After the French Revolution, the company collapsed until its bankruptcy in 1806, when it was auctioned off to a merchant in Verdun. In 1816, the Verrerie was bought by an industrialist, Aimé-Gabriel d'Artigues (1773-1848). This was the start of the prestigious rise of the Baccarat crystal works. The real start of the business dates from its takeover in 1822 by a wealthy Parisian, Pierre-Antoine Godard-Desmarest. Baccarat received its first royal commission in 1823 from King Louis XVIII. This was the start of a long series of orders for royal families and heads of state across the planet. It was also a period of strong international growth. In 1855 Baccarat won its first gold medal at the Universal Exhibition in Paris. Baccarat registered its trademark on its coins from 1860. The brand was a label stuck on the pieces. Crystal production gained momentum during this period, and Baccarat built a worldwide reputation for making very high quality glasses, candlesticks, vases and perfume bottles.
