A CELADON-GLAZED ‘BAMBOO’ DOUBLE VASE, THE GILT-BRONZE MOUNTS BY L’ESCALIER DE CRISTAL
The ceramics from China, 18th century, the mounts from France, 19th century.

Naturalistically modeled in the form of two adjacent bamboo stalks, each with small sprigs of leaves rising from the base and side, a small bird with neatly incised plumage perched on the smaller bamboo vase, looking down on the intricate rockwork minutely detailed with a porous structure. The base fitted with a gilt-bronze mount decorated with bands of grasses and petals.


Inscriptions:
To the base of the ormolu mount, engraved in cursive script ‘Escalier de Cristal Paris’.


Provenance:
From a private collection in London, United Kingdom.

Condition:
Very good condition with old wear and expected manufacturing irregularities, including some minute flaking to the ware around the top rim of the larger vase, and light scratches and wear to the base.

Weight: 372 g
Dimensions: Height 12.9 cm


Established in 1802
by Madame Marie Désarnaud (1775-1842), the luxury store of the Maison A L'Escalier de Cristal supplied clocks, lamps, and other art objects to ruling families in Europe. The firm exhibited to great acclaim at the 1819 Exposition des produits de l’industrie and was appointed fournisseur breveté du Roi that same year. The business was located in the Palais Royal, a center of excellence for the high-quality jewelers, silversmiths and manufacturers of Objets de Vertu, for which Paris was renowned. Works from L’Escalier de Cristal were commissioned by French aristocrats, finding their way to many royal family collections including the collection of Tsarina Alexander, wife of Nicolas II, who visited Paris in 1896. 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. Famous among the pieces produced by L'Escalier de Cristal is the table de toilette, commissioned by the Duchess of Berry, which is housed in the Louvre Museum today. The atelier continued its success throughout the 19th and early 20th century by collaborating with designers and makers such as Gallé and Christofle, until it dissolved in 1923. Today, objects from L’Escalier de Cristal are housed in important public and private collections around the world.


Auction result comparison:

Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie’s New York, 28 September 2021, lot 17
Price: USD 22,500 or approx.
EUR 24,000
converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A celadon-glazed bamboo-form vase, 18th century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related form and subject. Note the size (15.2 cm).


Auction result comparison:

Type: Closely related
Auction: Sotheby’s New York, 10 September 2019, lot 45
Price: USD 16,250 or approx.
EUR 18,000
converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: An aubergine-glazed ‘bamboo’ double vase, Qing dynasty, 18th century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related form and subject. Note the different glaze and the size (14 cm).


Auction result comparison:

Type: Related
Auction: Sotheby’s Paris, 13 October 2022, lot 722
Price: EUR 20,790 or approx.
EUR 21,500
converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A gilt-bronze mounted Chinese turquoise porcelain pot-pourri, the porcelain Kangxi period (1662-1722), the mounts, attributed to L'Escalier de Cristal, Paris, second half 19th century
Expert remark: Compare the gilt-bronze mounts by L’Escalier de Cristal on a turquoise-glazed pot-pourri depicting Liu Hai on a toad. Note the size (25 cm).




十八世紀青釉雙竹瓶，L’ESCALIER DE CRISTAL鎏金銅鑲嵌

十八世紀。瓶有雙口，仿竹節形，竹子底部和側面都長有小枝葉。一隻小鳥站立在小瓶口上，低頭看著小岩石。器身施青釉，釉色淡雅勻淨。銅鎏金底座來自法國，十九世紀，飾有花草紋帶。


款識：
底座邊緣上可見斜體 ‘Escalier de Cristal Paris’字樣


來源：
英國倫敦私人收藏。

品相：
狀況極好，有磨損，較大花瓶頂部邊緣有一些微小釉面剝落，底部有輕微劃痕和磨損。

重量：372 克
尺寸：高 12.9 厘米


Maison A L'Escalier de Cristal
是由Marie Désarnaud 夫人（1775-1842 年）於 1802 年創立的一家奢侈品店，為歐洲統治家族供應鐘錶、燈具和其他藝術品。該公司在 1819 年工業產品博覽會上展出並獲得好評，並於同年被任命為“fournisseur breveté du Roi”。該公司位於皇宮區，這裡是高品質珠寶商、銀匠和裝飾品製造中心，巴黎因此而聞名。 L'Escalier de Cristal 的作品受法國貴族委託，被許多皇室收藏，包括1896 年訪問巴黎的尼古拉斯二世的妻子沙麗娜·亞歷山大(Tsarina Alexander) 的收藏。該公司委託製造商提供單個組件，這些組件按照公司自己的設計進行組裝，這在很大程度上符合十八世紀商人的傳統。L'Escalier de Cristal 製作的著名作品是受貝里公爵夫人委託製作的梳妝台，該桌如今收藏於盧浮宮博物館。通過與Gallé 和Christofle 等設計師和製造商合作，在整個十九世紀和二十世紀初繼續取得成功，直到1923 年解散。如今，L'Escalier de Cristal 的物品可在世界各地的重要公共和私人收藏中見到。


拍賣比較：

形制：非常相近
拍賣：紐約佳士得，2021年9月28日，lot 17
價格：USD 22,500（相當今日
EUR 24,000
）
描述：中國清十八世紀青釉竹式瓶
專家註釋：比較非常相近的外形和主題。請注意尺寸 (15.2 厘米)。


拍賣比較：

形制：非常相近
拍賣：紐約蘇富比，2019年9月10日，lot 45
價格：USD 16,250（相當今日
EUR 18,000
）
描述：清十八世紀茄皮紫釉竹節形花插
專家註釋：比較非常相近的外形和主題。請注意不同的釉面和尺寸 (14 厘米)。


拍賣比較：

形制：相近
拍賣：巴黎蘇富比，2022年10月13日，lot 722
價格：EUR 20,790（相當今日
EUR 21,500
）
描述：康熙仿L'Escalier de Cristal 鎏金中國綠松石瓷劉海蟾蜍百花香
專家註釋：比較鎏金銅開口，L’Escalier de Cristal製、綠松石、劉海蟾蜍。請注意尺寸 (25 厘米)。