Dubai, UAE, September 1, 2016:  A pioneer in its field, Baccarat has always encapsulated current trends in creating the classics of tomorrow. The order of the most prestigious requests reads like an encyclopedia of History. In France, Baccarat received its first royal commission in 1823 when Louis XVIII ordered a glass service to be produced especially for him. Charles X, Louis-Philippe, Napoleon III and a host of Presidents and Heads of State would soon follow suit. The Juvisy service, engraved with the monogram RF for République Française, has adorned state banquets at the Elysée Palace since 1899. Baccarat soon earned a solid international reputation: from the furniture pieces produced for Indian maharajahs, to the majestic Tsar chandelier created for Nicholas II, from the exquisite commissions for the Japanese imperial court, to the sheer purity of the water glasses engraved with the initials of the American President F.D. Roosevelt, Baccarat crystal has cast its lustre all over the world as the embodiment of the most precious symbol of French Art de Vivre.

Baccarat, the first-ever crystal manufacturer to offer lighting components and to create pieces in coloured crystal, illuminates the world and transforms lives into a theatre of wonders. Baccarat lighting collection expresses the quintessence of a signature able to endow objects with a living soul and communicate the sense that, with each piece, we stand on the threshold of a compelling new world of light. 

Unforgettable are the sumptuous palaces of Istanbul, Dolmabahçe or Beylerbeyi, famed as a full-blown “Baccarat Museum”, with its thirty-one chandeliers and twelve candelabra. Baccarat opulence was to be found in a thousand and one wonders illuminating residences across the world. 

Baccarat lighting also illuminates much of Europe, from imperial palaces to legendary luxury hotels, such as the Negresco in Nice, with its 4m60-high Baccarat chandelier boasting 16,800 drop-beads. These great ceremonial chandeliers are visible proof of Baccarat’s endless quest to scale ever more dizzying decorative heights, making the Manufacture a haven for all dreams of enlightened grandeur. 

As the 21st century got underway, Baccarat developed a new vocabulary of lighting: the iconic “Zénith” chandelier is undoubtedly the most famous inspiration and has continuously evolved with each new special commission or reinterpretation by some of the world’s greatest international artists and designers.

The Zenith 84 light clear and red crystal chandelier embodies impressive timeless character, illuminating its surroundings with its unique sparkle. The Baccarat signature, the octagonal red ruby suddenly multiplies to challenge the clear crystal in a unique and extraordinary game of light. The vivid red is the result of the fusion of clear crystal and 24 K gold which gives it its vermillion luminescence. Baccarat’s red crystal sparkles with the glow of a thousand flames within the clear and flickers with all the craftsmanship and passion for perfection that went into its making. 

Moreover, as a tribute to the radiant Moorish style of the Andalusian emirate of Granada, The “Alhambra” chandelier was designed. A stunning interpretation of the timeless “Zénith” icon “Alhambra”, which means “red” in Arabic and sounds like “amber” in Spanish, is a mix of two emblematic colours: red, the signature colour of Baccarat, and amber, the symbol of opulence in the Orient. 

A Unique combination of European classicism and Arabian aesthetics, the “Alhambra” 24 lights chandelier is introduced as a limited edition of 25 pieces, exclusively available in the Gulf region in 2015, to celebrate in the Middle-East Baccarat 250th anniversary.

Furthermore, the “Charleston” collection, stunning interpretation of the timeless “Zénith” icon, gives a sparkling start to the 2015 dance of light. The collection, inspired by the 1920s, pays tribute to a period of prolific creativity, art and innovation. The chandeliers, candelabras and sconces are decorated with champagne-coloured drops, in the manner of the long pearl necklaces and the drapery of the dresses worn by Charleston dancers. These new creations, in champagne-coloured crystal obtained by adding 24-carat-gold powder, take us on journey back to the radiant, joyful Roaring Twenties. 

Baccarat’s designs immortalize both the elegance and excellence of its craftsmanship. This know-how is at the forefront of progress, handed down over the centuries by elite craftsmen and the symbol of an incomparable heritage. Inspired by alchemists’ elemental secrets, glassblowers, cutters, engravers and gilders put their peerless talent to the service of perfection. Each timeless work of art takes us on an exciting journey through light and creativity. Each carafe, glass, vase, flacon, every chandelier embodies an ultimate promise, an experience to be lived and first and foremost shared. 

Baccarat’s key strength it’s to weave subtle ties between the combined facets of art, craftsmanship and desire, making of each decade an invitation to share in a magic ball of light and sensations.

• Zenith Charleston Collection, 18-light chandelier with hurricane shade holders, clear and champagne-coloured crystal 
• Candelabra cut in triple-thick crystal with opaline, emerald green, or red with gold crystal, Beylerbeyi Palace, Istanbul, around 1850. 
• In sky blue opaline crystal, furnished with thirty branches for candles in twisted clear crystal, from the Baccarat archives, c. 1858. 
  This project corresponds to a sky blue opaline crystal chandelier crafted for the Dolmabahçe Palace, where it adorns an audience chamber.
• Zénith chandelier 84-light, Clear and red crystal. Inspired by the lavish coloured chandeliers in the Dolmabahçe Palace in Istanbul which has the largest collection of Baccarat chandeliers in the world