Style Napoleon III / Ref.10803

Cristallerie BACCARAT - Crystal and gilt bronze liquor cellar, 19th century

This liquor cellar was made at the end of the 19th century by the French manufacturer Baccarat Crystal. Made with crystal and bronze, this very precious liquor cellar plays on transparency : bronze is the structure of a finely knurled crystal. Inside, there is a set of two flasks and glasses finely decorated with golden stars.
World-famous, Baccarat Crystal is located in Lorraine (East of France). Created at the initiative of Monsignor de Montmorency-Laval, Bishop of Metz in 1764, Baccarat Crystal is at first a glasswork. In 1816, it becomes a crystal glassworks and get noticed thanks to its productions quality, to the extent that Louis XVIII of France introduces a royal commissions cycle. Thanks to its technical and artistic approach, Baccarat Crystal gets several gold medals during Salon exhibitions, before getting a gold medal at the Paris World’s Fair of 1855 .
The bronze decor is very fine and elaborate. On each bronze ornament, we can see a pattern, for example the fine reliefs on the bellflowers adorning the feet and the leaves veins which are worked to the smallest details. Reflecting the 19th-century eclecticism, the decor and the patterns are both inspired by Napoleon III and Louis XV styles. From the first are taken the taste for details, the ornamentation abundance and the materials wealth ; from the second are taken the patterns, notably acanthus leaves and rococo curves.
As it is often the case in decorative arts, the decor is in line with the object function. Thus for this temple of liquor are favored vine leaves. In particular, the joints are made up of windings like vine stock on which large leaves are extending. A blackberry adorns the top of the liquor cellar.