Three-tiered crystal filigree stand

Glass from the Saint-Louis and Baccarat crystal works. Illustrating the stylistic and technical virtuosity of the crystal works of eastern France, these creations are part of a donation of 180 pieces made to the Conservatoire in 1851. They were put on display in the rooms opened subsequent to the creation of ceramics and glassmaking courses. These pieces were inspired by Italian techniques (millefiori and filigree glass) and also illustrate the art of carving crystal, for which chemists created new colours such as pink, ‘rice water’ and red. Tools such as the Robinet pump – developed at Baccarat – and the use of metallic moulds enabled a wide variety of skills and techniques to be used in hot-glass creation. But it was the intricate engraving and carving of these famous factories that secured their international reputation.