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ALEXANDRE LANDRE - BEAUNE
217
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L'ESCALIER DE CRISTAL 1809–1923 An elegant jewellery box fea…
See original version (French)
217
-
L'ESCALIER DE CRISTAL 1809–1923 An elegant jewellery box fea…
See original version (French)
Estimate €500 - €800
Voluntary lot
Description
L'ESCALIER DE CRISTAL 1809–1923 An elegant jewellery box featuring a ‘chien de Fo’ and an inkwell, crafted from chiselled, patinated and gilded bronze, with a poly-lobed shape resting on leafy branches. The interior of the jewellery box is lined with red velvet.
Signed: ESCALIER DE CRISTAL PARIS. (On the inkwell).
Paris. Second half of the 19th century
H_18 cm
The glass inkwell is missing
Comparable work
*TAJAN Auction, Paris. 26 April 2017. Lot 131
L’Escalier de Cristal 1808–1923
*1808–1829 The early years: crystal and gilded bronze
Marie Jeanne Rosalie Désarnaud (1775–1842) opened her shop around 1808 in the galleries of the Palais-Royal gardens with her brother Philippe Auguste Charpentier (1781–1815), a renowned engraver of semi-precious stones and crystal. In 1812, they specialised their production by combining cut crystal and gilded bronze in the creation of works of art and furniture, such as the famous dressing table belonging to the Duchess of Berry (Musée d’Orsay). As the sole owner of the shop following her brother’s death in 1815, the widow Désarnaud targeted a princely clientele, thereby securing the title of ‘supplier of the king’s crystal’. In 1829, she sold her business to Jacques Boin, a crystal cutter and engraver who also practised at the Palais-Royal
*1829–1840 The Boin–Lahoche partnership and the development of tableware.
In the early 1830s, Boin maintained the prestige associated with the widow Désarnaud’s shop, as evidenced by its royal and princely clientele. In 1840, he went into partnership with Pierre-Isidore Lahoche, and in 1844 they took part in the Exhibition of Industrial Products. At the forefront of fashion, he embodied what might be called ‘good taste’ in the late 1840s and early
*1852 The Pannier family enters the business
Pierre Isidore Lahoche went into partnership with Émile Pannier, the son of a pottery manufacturer, who was married to his daughter Célina Lahoche.
The 1850s also marked the beginning of the first World’s Fairs, in which the shop participated assiduously. Eager to win over an ever-expanding international clientele, Lahoche and Pannier crossed the Atlantic to showcase their wares in New York, where they were awarded a silver medal in 1853. They were also awarded another silver medal at the 1855 Paris World’s Fair and received a commission from Napoleon III. The latter purchased from them a cut ruby crystal goblet featuring a gilded bronze spout. Their success was due to their ability to keep up with the fashions and tastes of their time. Furthermore, keen to reach an ever-wider clientele, Lahoche and Pannier also produced more affordable works of art, notably thanks to new processes such as electrotyping. The shop thus enabled this more modest clientele to acquire objects of ‘good taste’ whilst imagining themselves to belong to a higher social class.
*Japonism
Following Japan’s participation in the 1867 World’s Fair and the discovery of its art—so different from traditional European standards—a veritable craze took hold. European artistic production then followed this trend, and many artists and cabinetmakers specialised in Japanese-inspired creations; notable examples include Lièvre, Viardot and Rousseau in the field of glassware. The Pannier brothers saw this new trend as an opportunity to diversify their output.
Bibliography:
L'ESCALIER DE CRISTAL. Luxury in Paris 1809–1923.
Annick and Didier Masseau. Published by Monelle Hayot. 2021
- Expert: Stéphane PEPE
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
Pictures credits:
MAISON LANDRE
See original version (French)
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