BACCARAT French 19th Century Blue and White Opaline Egg Casket on a marble base encasing 4 scent bottles. Hand painted flowers on each the body are typical of Jean Francoise Robert who worked for Baccarat.

Jean-François Robert developed a technique for painting on glass in the 1830's and patented the process. Formerly a painter at the Sevres porcelain, he set up his own crystal-decorating workshop in Sevres and entered into partnership with Jean-Baptiste Launay, manager of Launay, Hautin et Cie which handled crystal sales after 1832 for Baccarat, Saint-Louis, Choisy and Bercy crystal works out of its Rue de Paradis headquarters in Paris. From 1843 to 1855, Robert decorated the opalines from Baccarat and Saint Louis.Because crystal has a lower melting point than glass or porcelain, it can not be annealed at the high temperatures needed to fix enamels. Robert's solution was to modify the composition of the polychrome enamels used to paint porcelain and colour glass for stained glass windows, and adapt it to crystal while maintaining their colouring capacity and their stability. Page 120 for an entry on Jean François Robert.L'Opaline Française au XIXe Siècle

Size:20cms High x 13 cms when open ; Scent bottles 7cms High 8 Inches High x 5 inches when open ; scent bottles 2 3/4 Inches High

Condition: Good No chips or Cracks

FREE WORLDWIDE SHIPPING

LAYAWAY WELCOME