Mahogany center table Escalier de Cristal, Paris, second half of the 19th century

Mahogany center table Escalier de Cristal, Paris, second half of the 19th century Measurements: cm W 46 x D 33 x H 68 Price: confidential negotiation Item accompanied by a certificate of authenticity. The table was made by the famous Parisian manufacturer Escalier de Cristal towards the end of the 19th century. L'Escalier de Cristal (1804-1923) is an old manufacturer created in Paris by Marie Desarnaud, born Marie Jeanne Rosalie Charpentier, in 1804. Famous under the Restoration, it is the first commercial house of its time to offer pendulums, chandeliers, ornamental vases that combine cut crystal and gilded bronze. The quality of its creations is unanimously recognized at the exhibition of French industry products in 1819 where it won the gold medal with the Duchess of Berry's bath table. Only towards the end of the reign of Louis Philippe did the shop extend its activity to the furniture trade and began to manufacture cabinetmaking around 1870, offering for sale very luxurious items, both original and in the style of the 18th century. The table is made of solid mahogany wood, in the Louis XV style. It has a top with a wavy perimeter. On one side there is a drawer and symmetrically it has a pull-out top. The arched legs are connected in a low position by another small shelf under which there is the stamp of the manufacturer "Escalier de Cristal Paris". The furniture is embellished with some gilded bronze details: a frame runs around the support surfaces and four tips decorate the feet with chiselled bronze with a leaf motif. The table fully represents the characteristics of the illustrious manufacturer: small in size, it has a graceful and elegant line and an accurate construction technique. It was designed to be used as a center table, perfect to be placed between sofas and armchairs or leaning against a wall of a living room, a study or an entrance. Its refined line makes it suitable for both an environment with antique furnishings and modern taste.