Baccarat Crystal Egyptian Cat Figurine

Baccarat Egyptian Cat Figurine

Baccarat Crystal has manufactured glass and crystal products since 1764.  The Baccarat Crystal Egyptian Cat figurine and the similar Baccarat Crystal Egyptian Black Cat figurine are two absolutely beautiful figurines.  They stand approximately 6 3/4 inches tall.  The figurines are hand blown lead crystal and made by Baccarat studios in Baccarat, France.

Baccarat Crystal

The company was founded in 1764 when King Louis granted permission for a factory in Baccarat, France.  Original production focused on window glass, mirrors, and stemware.  In 1816, Baccarat began crystal production with the opening of a crystal oven.  At this point the factory employed 3000 workers making it one of the largest factories in the world.

Baccarat Crystal is world renowned for its beauty and quality.  They have won numerous awards.  In 1823 they won their first state sponsored royal commission for products.  They won their first gold medal at the 1855 world’s fair.

As they expanded into Asia at the beginning of the 20th century they were making 4000 perfume bottles per day.

Baccarat is a subsidiary whose largest shareholder is Groupe de Louvre.  Starwood Capital Group, a premier hotel ownership chain, owns Groupe de Louvre.  Baccarat besides crystal and glass also owns two museums.

Egyptian Cat

The word Mau means cat in Egypt.  All cats including Egyptian cats are believed to have descended from wild African cats.  The breed is essentially a spotted cat weighing 10-14 pounds (males).  Originally, more than 5000 years ago they were used to guard grain stores from rodents.  Mythology portrayed a female head on this cat’s body as a deity.  The ties to religion continued to grown in the Bast region.  More than 300,000 mummified cats dating back thousands of years have been discovered near the Bast temple.

Egyptian mau cats now come in several colors.  Official North Ameridan cat associations show registry is granted to smoke, silver, bronze, and blue Egyptian cats.  The rare black cat is not an official show cat but can be used for Egyptian cat breeding.  All the cats colors come with green eyes.  Following World War II, the breed was brought to the United States.  Inbreeding produced a number of health problems for this breed.  When healthy Mau’s are the fastest domestic type cat running at more than 30 mph.