Les verres en cristal sont le summum du savoir-faire français en matière d’art de la table. True icons of a lifestyle, here are the most iconic collections from legendary crystal makers!

SPECIAL Crystal Glasses: Aesthetic Tableware

To perfect your Valentine’s Day 2023 table, or simply for aesthetic pleasure – Icon-Icon brings together the iconic crystal glasses here. A selection of cult pieces that have distilled this art of living to the four corners of the world.

And it is the Harcourt crystal glass from Baccarat that opens this crystal glass special.

A line borrowed to the sublime, transparency inspired from the divine: Harcourt glass embedded the flower of luxury craft, the perfection of an iconic chalice. Created in 1841 under the reign of Louis-Philippe, this ” triple gondola button shape” has made the history of culinary art.

Since its foundation in 1764, the Baccarat crystal factory has been working and transforming molten magma at 1500°C to stabilise the glass into precious pieces. The Harcourt glass is the emblem of the Baccarat style. And an absolute icon of French service.

But if the curves of Harcourt glass draw their essence from those of Talma glass – Napoleon I’s favourite glass… It was in 1841 that the original design of Harcourt glass first appeared. And it was Louis-Philippe who, that year, asked the Baccarat craftsmen to have a ceremonial glass made.

In 1841, the Baccarat crystal craftsmen offered the sovereign the sketch of an exceptional glass. A glass with a hexagonal base, reminiscent of the shape of France, a leg decorated with a red-tinted crystal button, the emblematic colour of the Baccarat label. A glass chalice whose success seems to lie in its plastic and stylistic qualities. A finesse in the cut, a purity of crystal, in short, an admired nobility.

French service comes to life in this Baccarat work, and in this Harcourt glass!

The second absolute icon of crystal glass – the Tommy glass from Cristallerie Saint Louis… The Tommy glass from Saint Louis embodies the quintessential French art of living – and in 2023, this crystal glass is even more iconic!

It is the oldest glass factory in Europe – founded in 1586, the Cristallerie Saint Louis is located in the heart of the Münzthal forest in Saint-Louis-lès-Bitche. This is there where the most beautiful crystal in the world is produced. Since the factory has been knighted by King Louis XV, in 1767, the Cristallerie Saint Louis has handed down to the world a whole way of life.

A true art of living anchored around an exemplary know-how. “Saint-Louis is more than a product. We never forget that behind the glass there is a man, a furnace, a village and a forest.” These are the words of Anne Lhomme, the creative director of Saint Louis. And it is true that Saint Louis has been orchestrating its emblematic know-how for centuries around this forest, this river, in short: in this environment which still hosts the workshops!

There are few tableware items that can compare to the refined beauty and singular nature of the Tommy de Saint Louis glass. And it was Joseph Bleichner who came up with the Tommy Glass in 1928.

In 2023, the Tommy Glass is also and above all declined around twenty references. From coffee cups to dessert bowls, from lamps to stemware: it is a sublime glass that inspires a thousand and one lifestyles!

Another legendary crystal maker, Christofle, signs the crystal glasses of a rare refinement. “Carefully placed on the table, the crystal glass occupies a central place in the art of setting up a reception. Translucent or coloured, wine or water glass, it imposes its presence and is part of this thousand-year-old art dear to the Christofle house. The crystal glass set is a real treasure that is given symbolically for a special occasion or simply to add a little modernity to the reception table”, the company poetically describes. Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

In these collections, the Iriana or Graphik lines are particularly noteworthy. Two collections of Christofle crystal glasses in which red wine or water glasses distil the aesthetic luxury of a house that has long been a master in the tradition of French art de vivre.

Modern, refined, refined to keep only the essential of the sublime, Christofle crystal is worked with great skill.

If the name of the House of Odiot resonates today among the most prestigious, it is first and foremost in the history of France that it must be echoed. Founded in 1690, many of the pieces designed by Odiot now sit at the heart of the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris.

In 1801, he was commissioned by Napoleon Bonaparte to make his consular sword. Very quickly, the goldsmith’s trade became the most frequented of the European royal courts – the house of Odiot indeed delivers sumptuous services for the table… And even more prestigious sets!

He was also responsible for the composition of the King of Rome’s cradle… So that’s how sublime the crystal glasses of the Borghese line are.

Bright, intense and pure tableware. Glass of unique refinement; those of the Borghese collection reveal a true sculptural masterpiece.

Borghese Champagne flute, Borghese white or red wine glass… Here the glasses are sculpted to reveal the aromas of the wines they contain.

Lalique sculpts crystal glasses, sublimated by the inspiration of nature… Here, it is a piece of art that shows Lalique’s work in glass… “The sumptuous avenue of plane trees along “the most beautiful avenue in the world” inspired the design of the finely ribbed crystal leaves of this Champs-Élysées cup created in 1951 by Marc Lalique. Through this iconic piece, it is a bit of the soul of Paris that the artist has captured,” beautifully notes the house behind the most inspiring headdresses and jewellery of the Belle-Epoque.

At Hermès, refinement is also a matter of tableware. With Hermès crystal glasses, the mastery of a house of total luxury is revealed.

The Intervalle collection is particularly ideal in that it reinterprets the diamond cut… Enlarged intervals, breathing new life into the material that is crystal – stemmed glasses, mugs, champagne flutes, water glasses…

Hermès once again demonstrates its mastery of beauty, for a goldsmith’s table!

Finally, Cristal d’Arques creations close this crystal glass special.

Especially the pieces from the Lady Diamond collection – “with its multitude of light-catching facets, Lady Diamond is perfect for turning your small occasions into festive moments. With its cut crystal effect, its design is as pure as a diamond. The Lady Diamond collection makes for a refined table setting,” notes Cristal d’Arques.

Cut in Kwarx, the stemmed glasses of this collection reveal a structured elegance and design. Brilliant, the service of white and red wine, the flute for sparkling wines, crystal glasses will have their place on festive tables… With, perhaps, that of Valentine’s Day in mind!