tour 19 of 21
The art of glass
Engraved glass ewer by the Cristalleries de Baccarat
Following the success of the Great Exhibition
at the Crystal Palace in London in 1851, major international
exhibitions were regularly held in London and Paris during the
second half of the nineteenth century. At these enormous and
spectacular events, manufacturers from different countries created
showpieces that highlighted their technical and artistic expertise.
This virtuoso ewer, made by the leading French glassworks
Cristalleries de Baccarat for the Paris
Exposition Universelle
of 1878, is a fine example of such a display
piece.
Inspired by the
exaggerated Mannerist style of decoration developed in Italy during
the seventeenth century, the spout of the jug takes the form of the
mouth of a sea monster, while the neck and shoulders are engraved
to suggest the monster's scaly body. The idea of creating
fantastic creatures in glass was intended to evoke the vessels
carved in rock crystal, a transparent stone, for the princely
courts of Europe in the seventeenth century. The French Royal
Collection had many examples that provided models for Baccarat. The
engraving, executed using a rotating copper wheel, perfectly
complements the shape of the vessel. Baccarat was envied all over
Europe for the purity of its crystal. The quality of workmanship on
this particular piece is superb.