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L'Escalier de Cristal Decorative Objects

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.

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Creator: L'Escalier de Cristal
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 Decorative Objects

Materials

Earthenware

Escalier de Cristal x E. Leveille & E. Rousseau, Chrysanthemums Pot-Pourri Vase
By Ernest Baptiste Leveille, Frères Pannier, L'Escalier de Cristal
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 Decorative Objects

Materials

Crystal, Bronze

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...
Category

1890s French Japonisme Antique L'Escalier de Cristal Decorative Objects

Materials

Bronze

Porcelain "Dove" Planter by L'Escalier de Cristal, France, circa 1880
By L'Escalier de Cristal
Located in PARIS, FR
Inscribed HA et Cie and numbered 403 Signed in red Escalier de Cristal Paris Beautiful planter in gilded and painted porcelain. The rounded belly with a platinum background is decor...
Category

1880s French Napoleon III Antique L'Escalier de Cristal Decorative Objects

Materials

Porcelain

Vase from the Escalier de Cristal, Gilt Bronze Mounting, 19th century
By L'Escalier de Cristal
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Crystal vase decorated with a gilded bronze dragon from the Maison de Cristal, Napoleon III period, 1880. H: 17cm, D: 5.75cm
Category

19th Century French Napoleon III Antique L'Escalier de Cristal Decorative Objects

Materials

Crystal, Bronze

19th Century French Crystal and Bronze Inkwell
By L'Escalier de Cristal
Located in Los Angeles, CA
19th century French Crystal and Bronze Mounumental Inkwell. Signed. Escalier de Cristal Paris.
Category

19th Century French Antique L'Escalier de Cristal Decorative Objects

Materials

Crystal, Bronze

Bronze and Glass Vase, Escalier De Crystal Vase, circa 1890
By L'Escalier de Cristal
Located in New York, NY
Bronze and glass vase, Escalier De Crystal vase, circa 1890.
Category

1890s French Antique L'Escalier de Cristal Decorative Objects

Materials

Bronze

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L'escalier De Cristal decorative objects for sale on 1stDibs.

L'Escalier de Cristal decorative objects 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 decorative objects, although gold editions of this piece are particularly popular. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider decorative objects by Charles Masse, and Theodore Deck. Prices for L'Escalier de Cristal decorative objects can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $2,885 and can go as high as $27,500, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $8,571.

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