Aquarium Attr. To Baccarat, France, Circa 1870

Rare crystal aquarium with a neck decorated with a garland of alternating vine leaves and stylized flowers. The body is engraved with a lakeside landscape of flowers and plants. 
The whole is supported by a circular ormolu base with three small feet in the shape of cherry blossom branches, typical of Baccarat production.

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.  In all reports one can read about the « perfection of the material and of its cut ». 
To Maintain the loyalty of its wealthy customers, who of course included members of the Royal Family, Baccarat had to discover and launch new fashions, new decors and new materials, such as opal crystal, which quickly became one of Baccarat’s specialties in the 1850s.

Bibliography
– Baccarat, Jean-Louis Curtis de l’Académie Française, 1992, Thames and Hudson
– Baccarat, 250 ans, Laurence Benaïm et Murray Moss, Rizzoli International Publications Inc., 2013