A FINE 19TH CENTURY FRENCH 'JAPONISME' GILT BRONZE AND PORCELAIN CLOCK GARNITURE ATTRIBUTED TO L'ESCALIER DE CRISTAL the clock case surmounted by a model of a peacock with outstretched tail, raised on a branch of blossom, the front and sides of the clock with porcelain panels designed to simulate cloisonné enamel, decorated with various birds and flowers, butterflies and carp, with gilt trellis-work and highlights, raised on a pierced spreading plinth with geometric ornament and four scrolling elephant head feet, the dial with Japanese numerals, the twin train movement striking on a blued steel, coiled gong, the movement numbered 125 and stamped P.S, the back of the case numbered 37443, the garniture candelabra with conforming porcelain bodies and dragon handles, issuing four dragon cast branches centred by a shorter fifth, stamped to the underside 37444, the clock 52.5cm high, the candelabra 52cm high (3) Auction comparable: A very similar 'Japonisme' clock garniture numbered 39671 sold Christie's, London, 6 March 2014, lot 197 (£35,000). United by a lustrous combination of the finest materials, the use of exquisite decorative techniques and supreme workmanship, the objets d'art retailed by L'Escalier de Cristal were accessible to only the wealthiest clientele and royalty of 19th century Europe. Incorporating expensive and rare materials such as rock crystal, cloisonne enamel, ivory carving, ormolu, Chinese lacquer, porcelain, and etched glass, the pieces produced and sold by L'Escalier de Cristal still exude luxury and splendour today. The company was based at Palais Royal (Paris) and commissioned the fashionable and renowned artists and workshops of the day to provide the component parts which were then assembled to their own designs. This method was not unusual and was based on the tradition of the 18th century marchands-merciers as well as the great clockmakers of the day who would source various parts from different makers and assemble them to their own designs. By the second half of the 19th century, heavily influenced by the Oriental style, they often combined works of art sourced from China and Japan as well as pieces produced by Orientalist designers such as Edouard Lievre and Gabriel Viardot.