Style Napoleon III / Ref.15332

ESCALIER DE CRISTAL (attributed to): Three tier gilded bronze and marble shelf

Miniature three tier bronze display piece in hard stone marquetry, with a structure that imitates bamboo segments, inspired by the Far East. Each shelf presents a different design set against a black background; a bird perched on a blossoming branch, a bouquet of lilies of the valley and forget-me-nots, a branch of bright red potentilla. The use of hard stones requires much research for tones and nuances, in order to represent the petals and leaves in a natural way. 

We attribute this piece to l’Escalier de Cristal because of the quality of craftsmanship and the use of bamboo segments. Founded in 1802, the company changed hands a number of times, but by the end of the century, the brand l’Escalier de Cristal was synonymous to exoticism, quality and refinement. The company used numerous artists in all the arts and crafts to create magnificent decorative objects.  

This piece is an example of the traditional Florentine commesso art, which began in the 16th century. It is a technique using hard stones cut into shapes, then assembled and glued on a marble or slate surface to represent a scene. In 1588 Ferdinand Medecis, grand duke of Tuscany founded the state manufactory “La Galleria dei Lavor”, specialized in hard stone marquetry. Its brand image was a parrot on a branch on a black background – quite similar to the bird in this piece. The company’s work swiftly became famous across Europe; Louis XIV opened a mosaic studio near Les Gobelins, employing a team of craftsmen from the grand duke’s company. After a period of disinterest in the 18th century, France rediscovered the beauty of hard stone marquetry during the Empire period, found new uses for old pieces and bought from the storerooms of companies in Florence. This shelf, although of a later date, is an example of what was created in the 19th century. New companies opened in Florence and participated in the World’s Fairs, which favored this new taste for commesso, in Paris.