Opaline Vase by Baccarat, Dated 1869

The spectacular development of Baccarat in the 19th century, both from a technical and artistic point of view, undoubtedly culminated in the second half of the 19th century. As the universal exhibitions come one after the other, Baccarat productions surpass themselves year after year. Thus, during the one organized in Paris in 1867, Baccarat presented a multitude of pieces in opaline, doubled opaline and agate. The artists responsible for decorating the cristal artworks pushed far the attention to detail and the taste of the time for a historicism which appreciated a fantasized medieval era as much as the art of Versailles in the 18th century.
This vase on a base and dated July 15th, 1869, two years after the Universal Exhibition, testifies to the enthusiasm of Baccarat’s clientele for these spectacular opalines, mounted for better display and decorated with fashionable subjects. We see a medieval town populated by modestly dressed inhabitants, circulating among half-timbered houses and belfries (a barely veiled memory of Lorraine towns), near which a peaceful river flows.
This remarkable Baccarat vase and its base are in perfect condition.