Dating back to the Bourbon Restoration in France and the reign of Napoleon Bonaparte, l’Escalier de Cristal (the Crystal Staircase) was founded by Madame Veuve Désarnaud as the first company to offer decorative objects made from crystal and gilded bronze. The firm was located in the Palais Royal in Paris, opposite the Louvre. It grew through a series of owners to become the gold standard for reproductions of 18th-century furniture — so perfect they were often mistaken for originals.
Désarnaud won numerous awards for her creations, including a gold medal at the 1819 Paris Exposition des Produits de l’Industrie Française for a dressing table featuring her signature bronze-crystal combination. A tailor named Boin bought the company around 1830; he in turn sold it to Pierre-Isidore Lahoche in 1840. Lahoche’s son-in-law, Émile Pannier, joined in a partnership in 1952 before Émile’s sons took over in 1885, establishing Pannier Frères. The company ceased commercial production in 1923.
Starting as early as the 1860s, there was a growing appetite for Japanese-style furniture, thanks in large part to the Japanese pavilion at the International Exposition of 1867. Henry Pannier reimagined some of the company’s designs to meet this new demand. The stylized furniture was a huge success and earned the company many awards, including the gold medal at the 1900 Paris Exposition Universelle. Others who contributed to this stylistic trend included French artist Émile Gallé, French glassmaker and ceramicist François-Eugène Rousseau, French furniture designer Louis Majorelle and French cabinetmaker Gabriel Viardot.
Henry Pannier made a constant effort to sketch each object the company sold and record it in his notebooks. Over 50 years, he recorded 2,800 furniture designs, each with its own name, date of sale and price. On some pieces, l’Escalier de Cristal signed the models, adding a layer of authenticity and distinction for today’s collectors.
Museums around the world have collected pieces from l’Escalier de Cristal, including the State Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg, the Musée d'Orsay in Paris and the Corning Museum of Glass in New York.
On 1stDibs, find a collection of l’Escalier de Cristal decorative objects, vases, desk accessories and more.
Dinner plate L'Escalier de Cristal, 19th "Grands Oiseaux"
By Choisy-le-Roi, L'Escalier de Cristal
Located in Paris, FR
Presenting the "Grands Oiseaux" plates, an exquisite piece from the renowned Escalier de Cristal, the definitive tableware store of the 19th century. This hand-painted plate delicat...
Ceramic
$4,339
H 29.53 in W 31.11 in D 19.69 in
19th Century Napoleon III Side Table, Maison L'Escalier de Cristal Paris
By L'Escalier de Cristal
Located in Casteren, Noord-Brabant
A refined side table made of burr walnut veneer on an oak base, with elegant tapered legs, at the ending gilt bronze clawfeet. The table has extra server drawers on both sides. Around the top a copper rim. The table is stamped on the bottom: Maison L'Escalier de Cristal Paris...
Bronze
$174,793 / set
H 38.19 in W 22.05 in D 10.63 in
Series of Four Louis XVI Style Wall Lights with Parrots, After 1885
By Edmé Samson, L'Escalier de Cristal
Located in SAINT-OUEN-SUR-SEINE, FR
This series of four gilt bronze wall lights featuring a porcelain parrot was made for l’Escalier De Cristal after 1885, year during which Henry and Georges Pannier start to manage th...
Bronze
$8,007 / item
H 54.14 in W 35.04 in D 13.98 in
Pair L'Escalier de Cristal Plum Pudding And Gilt Mounted Open Bookcases Cabinets
By L'Escalier de Cristal
Located in Norwich, GB
Pair of antique Louis XVI style plum pudding & gilt bronze open bookcase cabinets with marble tops. By Maison L'Escalier De Cristal Paris. Maker's stamp to each. Circa 1890-1910. The bookcases have beautifully shaped Breche d'Alep marble tops above a single drawer. Each with an open adjustable shelf, and cupboard below. Raised on shaped legs, with gilt bronze handles, edgings, corner mounts and apron. Shelves are 27cm deep 19/25cm cupboard height is 55cm The pair are in excellent condition for their age, showing some light surface marks and vey light knocks in places. They have been wax polished. There is a slight blister to the plum pudding veneer on one door, you should be able to make this out in photograph number 13. The marble tops have some light nicks to the corners, as shown. The shelves are fully adjustable to the open bookcase and the cupboard. The drawers have dovetail construction and are made of oak. Each drawer has turned drawer stops to ensure they do not fall out. One of the turned pegs is missing to one drawer on one side. The cupboard doors have a newly made key for the locks. The locks are inner stamped, 'Duvivier 77, St. Antoine/Paris.' Veneered in plum pudding mahogany, with a solid mahogany frame. The backs are in solid oak. Plum pudding mahogany is a rare and highly sought-after variety of mahogany wood, with distinctive swirling patterns and rich colours. It was particularly prized in the decorative arts during the late 18th and early 19th centuries, especially in French Empire period...
Bronze
$17,479
H 10.83 in Dm 11.42 in
Japanese Style Bronze Planter by L'Escalier de Cristal, France, Circa 1890
By L'Escalier de Cristal
Located in PARIS, FR
Signed H.P for Henri Pannier. Lovely hexagonal shaped planter in patinated bronze with gold highlights. Adorned on three sides with a dragon framed by a rhombus frieze on an openwor...
Bronze
L'Escalier de Cristal's Plate, 19th "Grands Oiseaux"
By Choisy-le-Roi, L'Escalier de Cristal
Located in Paris, FR
Presenting the "Grands Oiseaux" plates, an exquisite piece from the renowned Escalier de Cristal, the definitive tableware store of the 19th century. This hand-painted plate delicat...
Ceramic
Plate L'Escalier de Cristal, 19th "Grands Oiseaux"
By Choisy-le-Roi, L'Escalier de Cristal
Located in Paris, FR
Presenting the "Grands Oiseaux" plate, an exquisite piece from the renowned Escalier de Cristal, the definitive tableware store of the 19th century. This hand-painted plate delicate...
Ceramic
Dinner plate for L'Escalier de Cristal, 19th "Grands Oiseaux"
By Choisy-le-Roi, L'Escalier de Cristal
Located in Paris, FR
Presenting the "Grands Oiseaux" plates, an exquisite piece from the renowned Escalier de Cristal, the definitive tableware store of the 19th century. This hand-painted plate delicat...
Ceramic