Centerpiece with Pheasants

Solid, lead-rich, clear crystal, cast, hot-molded, and wheel-ground with geometric cuts. Circular, acid-etched trademark bearing the words "BACCARAT FRANCE" with a goblet, carafe, and glass. This original hallmark was introduced in 1936. This monumental centerpiece represents one of the pinnacle artistic and technological achievements of Cristalleries de Baccarat during the Art Deco period. The work bears the conceptual signature of Georges Chevalier, the factory's artistic director, who, starting in the 1920s, transformed the style of the historic crystalworks into a modernist style while preserving the centuries-old technical expertise of solid crystal work. The piece in question holds exceptional historical importance due to its precise chronological placement. The presence of the circular acid-etched mark—depicting the carafe, goblet, and glass surrounded by the manufacturer's name—allows us to precisely date the manufacture of this specific piece to the years 1936–1938.

J. Bloch-Dermant, Le verre en France : d'Émile Gallé à nos jours, Les Éditions de l'Amateur, Paris, 1983, p.

207 (for the iconographic and critical documentation of the same pheasant-on-rock model).

Cristalleries de Baccarat, Tarif Général des Cristaux Taillés, Moulés, Gravés, Paris, 1930s (for references to the

models and centerpiece variations by Georges Chevalier).

XIX International Biennial Art Exhibition 1934, Official Catalog, Venice, 1934 (for historical documentation of the model in the French Pavilion).

Artist: Georges Chevalier
Year: 1936/38
Dimensions: 137.5 31 17 cm