Large Louis XV Style Twenty-One Light Ormolu and Cut-Glass Chandelier
A magnificent and large Louis XV style twenty-one light gilt bronze and cut-glass crystal chandelier attributed to Baccarat, the finely chased rococo “Cage” with acanthus leaf scrolls with central cartouches centred by back-lit faceted glass cabochons, each below the four illuminated faceted glass pinnacles, in turn flanked by a pair of gadrooned urn-shaped candle nozzles now fitted with French candles, the centre of the cage featuring a larger faceted and illuminated glass pinnacle; all hung with faceted pear shaped drops and cabochon tear-drops. This chandelier has been fully restored, including professional cleaning of the original gilt bronze surface and full re-wiring including twelve French candle fittings, four back-lit faceted cabochons, four smaller illuminated pinnacles and one large illuminated pinnacle to the centre
This superb chandelier is crafted from cut glass crystal, and ormolu—also known as gilt bronze—in the distinctive Louis XV style. The present chandelier is a wonderful example of a 19th Century interpretation of the Rococo style that flourished under Louis XV.
History of Baccarat Crystal
Baccarat Glass was established in 1765 by the Bishop of Metz who wanted to encourage industry in the little village of Baccarat, some 250 miles east of Paris, France. The Verrerie de Sainte Anne at Baccarat made all kinds of utility glassware (windows, bottles, tableware) and flourished for many years. They survived the French Revolution (1789) but struggled through the Napoleonic Wars (1812-1815).
In 1815 the great French glassworks at Voneche in Northern France found itself outside the new French frontier in the newly created country of Belgium. The owner of Voneche, a Parisian named Aime-Gabriel D’Artigues, bought the Baccarat glassworks so that he could re-establish his business in France and continue to serve French customers without paying heavy import taxes. There is a story that he struck a deal with the King of France to reduce his import taxes from Voneche in return for setting up again in France.
The new company Voneche-Baccarat focussed on high qualitylead-crystal glassand over the past 180 years Baccarat have developed many new techniques in making the finest crystal glass. In 1822 D’Artigues sold the glassworks and the new owners set up the Compagnie des Cristalleries de Baccarat (keeping Voneche as part of the name until 1843). It soon became and remains today, the foremost glassworks in France. The company won medals at major exhibitions in Paris from 1823 onwards.
Baccarat is famous for its wonderful crystal paperweights, its superb crystal glass tableware and Chandeliers, for 19th century coloured lead crystal glass and “opaline” ware, for beautiful decanters and bottles, and for superb leadcrystal sculptures of animals and birds. The Bohemian/Venician technique of embedding millefiori canes was taken over by Baccarat in the 1840s and their lead crystal glass paperweights with millefiori designs surpass anything produced in that period from Bohemia or Venice.
