Mirrored Pair of Baccarat Opaline Vases with Birds

This pair of Baccarat opaline vases just arrived from Australia. They are beautifully enameled, and their main body color is a lovely shade of creamy pale yellow, very similar to another Baccarat pair I have, decorated with roses. I love that all four of the birds on these vases are different. This particular style of enameling used by Baccarat is a favorite of mine, done in the Japonisme style that was so popular during this time period.

The Corning Museum of Glass (CMOG), has a good explanation of the origins of ‘Japonisme’ in Europe here: http://www.cmog.org/artwork/2-vases-japonisme-scenes
The museum also states: “The well-established French glass manufacturer Baccarat referenced Japanese woodblock prints in their glass designs, many of which were displayed at the Paris International Expositions in 1867 and 1878. Baccarat was one of the first French glass companies to produce glass in the Japoniste style.”

They are in a classic Baccarat shape, and measure 10-1/2" (26.6cm) tall. They both have finely ground and polished bases, numbered in rusty red. Baccarat opaline glass is very heavy; the pieces I have are much heavier than their Bohemian counterparts in similar sizes. These vases date to about 1880.