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Pair of earthenware plates representing two birds perched on branches, surrounded by butterflies and insects, "Grands Oiseaux" model by André Dammouse**, signed Escalier de Cristal*, B.la R (for Bourg la Reine, Laurin*** factory), circa 1872, 19th century.
These plates are in good condition and of good quality. One plate is signed on the bottom. This model is presented in the book "L'Escalier de Cristal - Le Luxe à Paris 1809-1923" by Annick and Didier Masseau, page 137.
Please note: tiny enamel defects, slight wear and tear, see photos.
Marie Jeanne Rosalie Désarnaud (1775 -1842) opened her store around 1808 in the galleries of the Palais-Royal garden with her brother Philippe Auguste Charpentier (1781-1815), a renowned engraver of semi-precious stones and crystal. The business quickly acquired prestige and fame. In 1812, they specialized their production by combining cut crystal and gilded bronze in the manufacture of art objects and furniture, such as the famous dressing table of the Duchess of Berry (Orsay Museum). The following year, the store expanded further and added porcelain and alabaster objects to the sale of crystals. It was in that same year that a surprising staircase with crystal balusters was installed, which would become the emblem of the store. In 1840, Boin joined forces with another merchant, Pierre-Isidore Lahoche, who contributed greatly to the store's renewed prestige. In 1852, Pierre Isidore Lahoche decided to join forces with Emile Pannier, the son of a potter, married to his daughter Célina Lahoche. The 1850s also saw the start of the first Universal Exhibitions, in which the store participated assiduously, thus increasing its reputation in France and abroad. They were rewarded with another silver medal at the Universal Exhibition in Paris in 1855 and an order from Napoleon III. In 1863, Lahoche retired from business. (Excerpt from Escalier de cristal website)
was a French sculptor and ceramist. From 1863 to 1868, Albert Dammouse studied at the École supérieure des arts décoratifs in Paris. In 1868, he entered the École des beaux-arts in Paris. In 1871, he created a workshop in Sèvres, which he kept until his death in 1926. There he made porcelain, which he decorated with a high fire, as well as stoneware and earthenware. In 1874, he began a collaboration with the Pouyat et Dubreuil factory and won a gold medal at the Central Union of Decorative Arts. From 1875, he collaborated with the painter Félix Bracquemond (1833-1914), with whom he created the famous Service aux Oiseaux. Albert won a gold medal at the 1879 World's Fair. In 1889, he became a member of the Société nationale des beaux-arts and exhibited at its Salon. Two years later, in 1891, he became the secretary of this company, then member of the jury in 1893. He created his own oven in 1892 in Sèvres.
François Laurin (1826-1901) was the son of the earthenware maker Louis-François Laurin. In 1856, he and the painter Émile-Aubert Lessore (1805-1876) brought about a revival by relaunching artistic earthenware and, in 1871, he developed barbotines with Ernest Chaplet. He decorated many houses in Bourg-la-Reine, including his own, which still exists at no. 2 rue André-Theuriet. He created the panel The Virgin and Child preserved in the church of Saint-Gilles in Bourg-la-Reine. His production was presented at the Vienna Exhibition in 1873 and in Paris in 1874 and 1878. Among his collaborators were Ernest Chaplet (1835-1909) between 1857 and 1874, Albert Dammouse (1848-1926), Édouard Paul Mérite (1867-1941), as well as the painter and engraver Auguste Lepère (1849-1918). In 1875, he created his first studio in Bourg-la-Reine, which he kept until 1887, when he moved to Choisy-le-Roi until his suicide in 1909.
