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Basketball-shaped bottle to mark NBA’s 75th anniversary

Hennessy creates basketball-shaped bottle to mark NBA's 75th anniversary

Parisian jeweller Lorenz Bäumer has designed a hand-faceted Baccarat crystal bottle for Hennessy to celebrate the NBA's 75th anniversary season.

Bäumer and his team hand-crafted 75 spherical, 1.75-litre carafes to mark 75 years of the National Basketball Association (NBA) in the USA.

Basketball-shaped bottle to mark NBA's 75th anniversary
Lorenz Bäumer has designed a basketball-shaped bottle for Hennessy

"The 75 limited-edition masterpieces celebrate the 75th anniversary of the NBA and express the synergy of Maison Hennessy, Baccarat and mine: audacity and determination, rigour and consistency, a pioneering language and a guarantee of excellence," Bäumer told Dezeen.

"All the artisans and creators worked together in harmony to pay tribute to NBA athletes for 75 years."

Basketballs and bottle
It was designed to mark the NBA's 75th anniversary

The basketball-shaped bottle, which contains Hennessy's Paradis cognac, was created by blowing a sphere into a mould that was then recut by Baccarat's master craftsmen.

Each of the 75 carafes has a unique faceted surface designed to reflect the cognac it holds.

Glass sphere being forged
The glass was blown in a spherical mould

Bäumer aimed to create a form in crystal that was immediately recognisable as a basketball.

However, he also wanted the design to have a sense of fun with gold markings that follow the lines of a basketball.

"It is essential to have fun when you create because it is translated into the creation that you make," said Bäumer.

"I liked to work the crystal to transform it into a jewel, to optimize the play of light, the facets to recreate the movement."

Baccarat craftsman holding crystal
The bottle's facets were then handcrafted

Bäumer also designed an orange leather case for the basketball-shaped bottle that opens up to act as a kind of "trophy case" display for the carafe. A golden key opens both the case and the bottle.

Each set is complete with a pair of Baccarat crystal glasses that match the bottle and an arced fusil pipette.

Case designed by Bäumer
Bäumer also designed a case

Creating a limited-edition bottle that had the feel of a piece of jewellery was a challenge, according to Bäumer.

"Working with crystal, recreating the aspects of a jewel was a real challenge," he said.

"The technical challenges were numerous to achieve this sculpture of light: a neckless bottle that opens with a key, a large mass of crystal to be blown and cut by hand, the realization of the box that opens with the same key, basketball-shaped glasses…"

Bottle and basketball-shaped glasses
The complete set includes basketball-shaped glasses

Previously, Hennessy worked with Pritzker Architecture Prize-winning architect Frank Gehry to create a crinkled gold bottle to mark the 150th anniversary of Hennessy X.O, while architect Daniel Libeskind created an angular bottle for the Richard Hennessy cognac.

The photography is courtesy of Hennessy.

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Hennessy creates basketball-shaped bottle to mark NBA's 75th anniversary
Hennessy creates basketball-shaped bottle to mark NBA's 75th anniversary
Hennessy creates basketball-shaped bottle to mark NBA's 75th anniversary
Hennessy creates basketball-shaped bottle to mark NBA's 75th anniversary
Hennessy creates basketball-shaped bottle to mark NBA's 75th anniversary
Hennessy creates basketball-shaped bottle to mark NBA's 75th anniversary
Hennessy creates basketball-shaped bottle to mark NBA's 75th anniversary