Harcourt abysse ashtray baccarat

HARCOURT ABYSSE ASHTRAY BACCARAT :

HARCOURT ABYSSE ASHTRAY BACCARAT, Harcourt Abysse desk accessories are inspired by the style of the Harcourt range with their octagonal and flat cuts, and complete this iconic Baccarat collection. The photo frame, ashtray and clocks bring elegance and timelessness to any room, as do the symbolic Harcourt glasses.

♦ BACCARAT :

Before it became synonymous with the famous crystal, Baccarat was first of all, in the 18th century, a village of woodcutters who worked supplying wood to the Rosieres saltworks. When the works closed in 1760, the owner, the Bishop of Metz, Monsignor Louis de Montmorency-Laval, decided, with the consent of King Louis XV, to create a glassworks in order to provide employment for the population.

The glassworks opened in 1764 and began by producing domestic glass including mirrors and goblets. But the French Revolution, and the numerous wars of the Empire, proves disastrous for the business. Aimé-Gabriel d’Artigues, a Belgian crystal maker, purchased the glassworks and transformed it into a crystalworks.

The first furnace for crystal production was fired up on November 15th, 1816. Because of the health problems, d’Artigues had to give up Baccarat, which he sold to three associates. The sale took place on January 7th, 1823 and this was the beginning of Baccarat’s great history.

19th century was an age of major technical innovations which had a remarkable effect on creation. The “Robinet” pump, invented by a Baccarat glassworker, made it possible to blow glass pieces of large dimension by replacing a man’s breath with propulsed air. Perfection of mechanical molding devices made it possible to produce a line of products at affordable prices, as did the automatic pressing process used in the early 1830’s, which also made it possible to mechanically create the effect of hand-cut crystal.