A FRENCH CARVED MAHOGANY ÉTAGÈRE

Among the most renowned makers of the nineteenth century, Escalier de Cristal was founded in Paris in 1802 by Madame veuve Barthélemy Désarnaud (d. 1842), and was the first to construct furniture in crystal. The firm later supplied luxury furnishings and decorations to Europe's most important families and, in the second half of the 19th century, began reproducing well-known models from the 18th century which were renowned for their quality of execution.

With its sinuous and seemingly organic form, this unusual étagère - presumably a plate-stand - is a departure from the firm's established oeuvre based on revival styles. It does however draw on the 'new style' of furniture design popular at the close of the 19th century, demonstrating that the firm readily embraced the radical Art Nouveau movement.