Baccarat

French crystal manufacturer (founded in 1764)

Founded in 1764 in Lorraine, under the authorization of Louis XV, the Baccarat glassworks initially produced only utilitarian glassware. Its destiny shifted in 1816 when Aimé-Gabriel d’Artigues acquired it and introduced the production of crystal. Success came swiftly: as early as the Exposition des produits de l’industrie of 1823, Baccarat was awarded a gold medal for the purity and brilliance of its crystal, becoming the leading crystal manufacturer in France. Throughout the Universal Expositions of the Second Empire, from 1855 to 1867, juries praised the perfection of its material and cut, ranking it above Bohemian and English crystal. A purveyor to the royal and imperial courts of Europe and the East, Baccarat created tableware services that have become classics, such as the "Harcourt" glass designed in 1841, as well as chandeliers and ceremonial pieces of exceptional virtuosity. More than two and a half centuries after its foundation, the house remains a global benchmark for luxury crystal.