The company that is today called Compagnie des
Cristalleries de Baccarat, was founded in 1764 by the Bishop
of Metz. In 1816 the facory was sold to M. Aime-Gabriel d'Artigues,
who had worked as director of the Saint Louis factory. Under
his direction, the glassworks improved rapidly, becoming France's
foremost glassworks by 1822.
In 1823 d'Artigues sold the company and it was renamed Cristalleries
de Baccarat. By 1846, the craftsmen there perfected the production
of millefiori paperweights, and by 1848 exquisite lampwork flowers,
bouquets, butterflies and other motifs were also being produced.
Paperweights were a small by significant part of the company's
production for almost twenty years, but it gradually faded.
In 1953, collector and connoisseur Paul Jokelson suggested that
Baccarat experiment with making paperweights. Eventually, the
company produced a successful sulfide, and the rest, as they
say, is history.
View Baccarat Items in: Modern Paperweights |
