A Japonaise ormolu and painted glass three-piece garniture

BY L'ESCALIER DE CRISTAL, PARIS, CIRCA 1870

细节

A Japonaise ormolu and painted glass three-piece garniture
By L'Escalier de Cristal, Paris, Circa 1870
Comprising a clock and a pair of five-light candelabra: the urn-shaped clock with domed cover, pierced collar, sides and foot, with glazed back and front decorated with a parrot, serpent, insects and foliage surrounding a circular dial with dragon hands, signed below Escalier de Cristal/Paris, the movement by Japy Frères, Paris, suspended from a shaped pierced frame, above a glazed base centred by a grotesque beast, on four jewelled elephant-head feet; the candelabra each as a vase decorated with three cranes below a blossom tree, supporting stylised branches with pierced nozzles and pendants below, on conforming feet
The clock: 25¾in. (65.3cm.) high; The candelabra: 24¾in. (62.8cm.) high (3)

拍品专文

Established in 1802, the luxury store of the firm À L'Escalier de Cristal supplied clocks, lamps and other objets d'art to ruling families in Europe, and were appointed fournisseur breveté du Roi in 1819. The company commissioned manufacturers to supply individual components which were then assembled to the firm's own designs - much in the tradition of the 18th century marchands merciers, from whom they inherited their specialist profession.

The design for the present garniture may well be attributed to Emile-Auguste Reiber (d. 1893) who, as chief designer at Christofle (with whom L'Escalier de Cristal collaborated), was inspired by the arts of Japan and imitated their production techniques in adapting designs to produce stunning pieces to satisfy the burgeoning new vogue for exotic styles as a result of Japan opening its doors to Europeans.