The glassworks' glittering crystal chandelier shared the billing with paintings by Francis Picabia and William Adolphe Bouguereau.
Baccarat glassworks, last quarter of 19th century, cut crystal chandelier with twenty-four arms, ruby-red tinted tulips and columns with bulges, white and almond green tinted drip-pans, the faceted arms hung with numerous drops, around 110 x 100 cm/43.3 x 39.4 in.
Result: €51,520
With over 900 lots proposed over two days, this sale provided a chance to redecorate the home, starting with this splendid Baccarat chandelier, which sold for €51,520. According to family tradition, it was bought at the company's stand at the 1889 Universal Exhibition. The venerable firm, established with Louis XV's permission in the eponymous village in Lorraine since 1764, is a spearhead in crystal-making to this day. Baccarat first participated in the National Exhibition of French Industrial Products in 1823. Then in 1827, following the invention of the pressed glass technique two years earlier, it presented its first chandeliers. Gold medals followed thick and fast, as did royal commissions, and it became highly successful outside France. 1839 marked another milestone with the production of colored crystals and their much-acclaimed variety. With its first Universal Exhibition in Paris in 1855, Baccarat created a sensation with a chandelier and two monumental candelabras. By the turn of the century, the factory was employing nearly 2,200 workers.
The painting section also had its triumphs, notably with Francis Picabia. His view of Saint-Tropez with the Bay of Canoubiers, painted in around 1904-1905, fetched €60,536 after a high estimate of €15,000 (33.5 x 41.3 cm/1.09 x 1.35 ft). Immortalized by painters, eulogized by writers, and popular with the very wealthy, the coastline can still be seen here in its wild state. At €38,640, William Adolphe Bouguereau was acclaimed for a Portrait of the Painter Édouard Brandon, dedicated to his friend.
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