Antique Baccarat Chandelier

An exceptional French ormolu and cut glass eighteen-light chandelier by Baccarat, Paris, late 19th or early 20th century. The central baluster stem issuing six triform candle branches, suspended with swags of faceted beads and clear glass lustres. Some drip pans marked BACCARAT.
In 1764 King Louis XV of France gave permission to found a glassworks in the town of Baccarat. By the 19th century it had become the Compagnie des Cristalleries de Baccarat, which produced objects that were, and still are, synonymous with luxury.
In the mid-19th century Baccarat discovered that the addition of nickel oxide in the manufacturing process created a perfectly clear product, free of discolouration, that imitated precious rock crystal. Baccarat glass was coined ‘crystal glass’, which is highly regarded, not only for its unusual clarity but also for its great solidity and weight. The term 'crystal’ can only be applied to glass which contains at least 24 per cent lead oxide.
Chandeliers were among the most expensive works of art made by Baccarat — often produced for exhibition or commissioned by only the wealthiest clientele, such as the tsars of Russia, the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul and the Indian marharajas.