Skip to main content

L'Escalier de Cristal

French

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.

Average Sold Price
$2,543
Styles
Materials
Related Creators
Signed Escalier De Cristal of Paris Metamorphic French Louis XVI Desk Table
By L'Escalier de Cristal
Located in Swedesboro, NJ
This is an incredible signed L Escalier De Cristal of Paris metamorphic desk or ladies vanity. The desk is beautifully inlaid and features inlaid brass inside the fluted legs and a g...
Category

1890s French Louis XVI Antique L'Escalier de Cristal

Materials

Brass

Signed Escalier De Cristal of Paris Metamorphic French Louis XVI Desk Table
Signed Escalier De Cristal of Paris Metamorphic French Louis XVI Desk Table
$6,396 Sale Price
20% Off
H 29.75 in W 30 in D 21.75 in
Plate L'Escalier de Cristal, 19th "Grands Oiseaux"
By L'Escalier de Cristal, Choisy-le-Roi
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...
Category

Late 19th Century French Japonisme Antique L'Escalier de Cristal

Materials

Ceramic

Escalier de Cristal x E. Leveille & E. Rousseau, Chrysanthemums Pot-Pourri Vase
By L'Escalier de Cristal, Ernest Baptiste Leveille, Frères Pannier
Located in PARIS, FR
A magnificent collaboration between renowned glassmakers Ernest-Baptiste Leveillé and François-Eugène Rousseau, this exquisite pot-pourri urn is a testament to the Japonism period st...
Category

1880s French Japonisme Antique L'Escalier de Cristal

Materials

Crystal, Bronze

Series of Four Louis XVI Style Wall Lights with Parrots, After 1885
By L'Escalier de Cristal, Edmé Samson
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...
Category

19th Century French Louis XV Antique L'Escalier de Cristal

Materials

Bronze

Series of Four Louis XVI Style Wall Lights with Parrots, After 1885
Series of Four Louis XVI Style Wall Lights with Parrots, After 1885
$173,543 / set
H 38.19 in W 22.05 in D 10.63 in
Pair of Antique Ormolu Mounted Vitrine Cabinets by L'Escalier de Cristal
By L'Escalier de Cristal
Located in London, GB
Pair of antique ormolu mounted vitrine cabinets by L'Escalier de Cristal French, Late 19th Century Height 178cm, width 105cm, depth 55cm Crafted in the late 19th century, this exqu...
Category

Late 19th Century French Louis XVI Antique L'Escalier de Cristal

Materials

Ormolu

Edmond LACHENAL for L'ESCALIER DE CRISTAL, Bowl decorated with flowers
By L'Escalier de Cristal, Edmond Lachenal
Located in SAINT-OUEN-SUR-SEINE, FR
This elegant ceramic bowl was created by Edmond Lachenal for L’Escalier de Cristal around 1890. It bears his signature. A ceramist and painter, Edmond Lachenal is known for his past...
Category

Late 19th Century French Japonisme Antique L'Escalier de Cristal

Materials

Earthenware

Dinner plate L'Escalier de Cristal, 19th "Grands Oiseaux"
By L'Escalier de Cristal, Choisy-le-Roi
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...
Category

Late 19th Century French Japonisme Antique L'Escalier de Cristal

Materials

Ceramic

Plate L'Escalier de Cristal, 19th "Grands Oiseaux"
By L'Escalier de Cristal, Choisy-le-Roi
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...
Category

Late 19th Century French Japonisme Antique L'Escalier de Cristal

Materials

Ceramic

Browse all Furniture from L'Escalier de Cristal
Shop Now

L'Escalier de Cristal Sale Prices

Sold DateSold PriceCategoryMaterialCreation Year
2025$4,500Planters, Cachepots and JardinièresCeramic, Bronzecirca 1880
2024$2,696Screens and Room DividersFabric, Wood, Walnutcirca 1880
2024$390TablewareCeramic19th century
$2,543
Average sold price of items in the past 12 months
$433-$4,500
Sold price range of items in the past 12 months

Creators Similar to L'Escalier de Cristal

L'escalier De Cristal furniture for sale on 1stDibs.

L'Escalier de Cristal furniture are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of metal and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of L'Escalier de Cristal furniture, although brown editions of this piece are particularly popular. Many of the original furniture by L'Escalier de Cristal were created in the louis xv style in france during the 19th century. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider furniture by Boin-Taburet, Gervais Durand, and Samuel Marti. Prices for L'Escalier de Cristal furniture can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $2,000 and can go as high as $161,538, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $7,899.

Recently Viewed

View All