- Baccarat (company)
Baccarat Crystal is a manufacturer of fine crystal
glassware located in Baccarat,France . TheMusée Baccarat , inParis , displays many of its finest productions.History
1764-1816
In 1764 King
Louis XV of France gave permission to found aglassworks in the town of Baccarat in the Lorraine region in easternFrance to Prince Bishop CardinalLouis-Joseph de Laval-Montmorency (1761-1802). Production consisted of window panes,mirror s andstemware until 1816 when the first crystal oven went into operation. By that time over 3000 workers were employed at the site.1817-1867
Baccarat received its first royal commission in 1823. This began a lengthy line of commissions for royalty and heads of state throughout the world.
In 1855 Baccarat won its first
gold medal at theWorld's Fair inParis .Baccarat first began marking its work with a registered mark in 1860. The mark was a label affixed to the bottom of the work. In the period 1846-1849 Baccarat signed some of their high quality glass paperweights with the letter B and the year date in a composite cane. A special paperweight dated 1853 was found under the cornerstone of a bomb damaged church in Baccarat when construction recommenced after World War 2.
The crystal production expanded its scope throughout this period, and Baccarat built a worldwide reputation for making quality stemware,
chandelier s, barware, andperfume bottle s.1867-1936
The Imperial Era ended in 1867 with the defeat of Napoléon III. Influences outside of France began to have a stronger influence on Baccarat's work during this era, particularly imports from
Japan .Strong growth continued in
Asia for Baccarat.One of the strongest production areas for Baccarat was perfume bottles, and by 1907 production was over 4000 bottles per day.
In 1936 Baccarat began marking all of its works via
acid orsandblasting .1936—Present
Baccarat created an American subsidiary in 1948 in New York City. By 2007 there were stores in Chicago; Costa Mesa; Dallas; Houston; Greenwich, CT; Honolulu; New York; Troy, MI; San Francisco; Palm Desert, CA; Las Vegas; and Atlantic City.
A retrospective was held in 1964 at the
Louvre Museum to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the crystal works.In 1993 Baccarat began making
jewelry and in 1997 the company expanded into perfume.External links
* [http://www.baccarat.fr Official Baccarat Crystal website]
Sources
[http://www.baccarat.com/en/the-world-of-baccarat/archives/history.htm] Baccarat Corporate History Page
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