(2) French Crystal Decorative Objects from Art Vannes and Baccarat. One is a trinket dish in the shape of a half an apple with a stem and leaf, marked on the underside with Art Vannes. The other is a pelican figurine, marked on the underside with Baccarat. 

Size: 4 1/2 x 4 x 1 1/2 in. 

The origin of ART Vannes is in the village of Vannes-le-Chantel located in Lorraine, France. The history traces its roots to around 1765 under the patronage of the aristocracy. The privatized company formed in 1950, and by 1960 more than 600 glassmakers resided in the area and produced artistic lead-based pieces in molds purchased from former manufacturers. Today, the largest glassmaking school in Europe (CERFAV) is located in the region. In addition, several French crystal companies (Baccarat, Daum, and Portieux) are established in the region, with many former ART Vannes employees working for them and teaching at CERFAV. In 1970 the kilns went down due to a turn in the economy, and ART Vannes ceased production and was turned into Cristal de Sèvres during a merger, later becoming Daum. Due to their relatively short existence, their surviving magnificent pieces are few and far between, and considered exceptional finds by collectors. 

Baccarat Glass was established in 1765 by the Bishop of Metz who wanted to encourage industry in the small village of Baccarat 250 miles east of Paris, France. The Verrerie de Sainte Anne at Baccarat made all kinds of utility glassware and survived the French Revolution but struggled through the Napoleonic Wars (1812-1815), after the shifting borders of Europe following the Wars placed the great French glassworks at Voneche in Northern France within the newly created country of Belgium. The owner of Voneche, a Parisian named Aime-Gabriel D’Artigues, bought the Baccarat glassworks so that he could re-establish his business in France and continue to serve French customers without paying heavy import taxes, and the newly named Voneche-Baccarat focused on high quality lead-crystal glass. In 1822 D’Artigues sold the glassworks and the new owners set up the Compagnie des Cristalleries de Baccarat (keeping Voneche as part of the name until 1843). After winning medals at major exhibitions in Paris in 1823, the company soon became the foremost glassworks in France, and the little town of Baccarat is now almost exclusively dedicated to glassworking through factories, museums, and shops, having become a destination for tourists the world over.

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