ROLLER HOLDER with intertwined dolphin decoration Manufacture d'Orléans, last third of the 17th - early 18th century Blown-moulded glass Breakage reattached to a petal of the bowl and to the tail of a dolphin H. 18 cm, W. 13 cm Provenance Private collection, Paris This glass tableware was defined in the 18th century as a "crystal", i.e. "a glass with stems or the like, used to mount a fruit, or to put snow and moss [...]" (Joseph Gilliers, Le Cannameliste français, 1768, p. 68) These pieces, made of very clear and sharp glass, adopt various shapes among which the dolphin seems to have enjoyed a particular favour (fig. 1). Several examples are in fact preserved in the Louvre collections. The animal supports the fruit bowl with the tip of its tail. Our model differs from the usual production by the original decoration of its stem with two interlaced dolphins. Made of colourless blown and moulded glass, worked with tongs, it illustrates the high quality of the production of the Manufacture of Orleans, founded by Bernard Perrot (1640-1709) in 1668. This Master glassmaker, originally from Liguria, was noticed in Liège and Paris for his innovations and obtained from the king the privilege to produce decorated pieces in blown glass. Additional information given by the collector is accessible by QR Code in the PDF.