Bottle in triple-layer glass decorated with a garland

This glass object, which bear witness to the stylistic and technical virtuosity of eastern France's crystal workshops, belongs to a set of 180 pieces given to the Conservatory in 1851, when they went on display in the rooms opened after the ceramics and glassmaking classes started up. Based on Italian techniques (millefiori or filigree glass), they also illustrate the cut crystal for which chemists developed new colours, including pink, "rice water" and red. The use of tools such as the Robinet pump, developed at Baccarat, or of metal casts, made the most of a wide range of craftsmanship in the area of hot glass, but engraving and cutting are what gave these famous workshops a reputation for excellence.