Baccarat Pair of gilt bronze basket chandeliers, France Circa 1880

This elegant pair of chandeliers features four foliate bronze scrolls at the upper section, supporting the structure.
At the centre, a broad decorative band displays a frieze of gilded flowers and rosettes against a patinated background, adding a Neoclassical touch.
The lower section takes the form of a basket, composed of glass beads arranged in a net-like structure. The ensemble is finished with a bronze finial in the form of a pine cone.

BIOGRAPHY

The famous crystal manufacture of Baccarat, that dates back to the 18th century, was awarded its first medal in 1823, during the “Exposition des Produits de l’Industrie” for the “brilliance and the sharpness of its crystal” and became then the most renowned French “cristallerie”. Baccarat was undoubtedly the only French manufacture, that exhibited steadily and magnificently its products at the 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 from Bohemia or England.