A Charles X blue opaline ewer

Large ewer in opal crystal called turquoise opaline on circular pedestal with several steps. The colour of the opaline is representative of the production of opalines during the reign of Charles X. Circa 1820.
Behind the generic term, adopted by antique dealers in reference to the iridescence of opal, lie a variety of materials and forms, spanning almost a century of creation, from the First Empire to the Napoleon III era. The opalization of glass, obtained by adding tin oxide, was known in Venice from the 16th century onwards. It eventually spread to the rest of Europe. From the 1810s onwards, it was mainly in France that the opaline manufacturing process was applied to a lead-based glass, crystal, developed in Great Britain in the 17th century. The first national blown-glass opalines were luxury items made by the Baccarat, Le Creusot and Saint-Louis crystal works and, a little later, by the Bercy and Choisy-le-Roi factories. They became known as opal crystal.

 

Price : 2600 €