A French Porcelain Plate from the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess Sergei Alexandrovich Service Escalier de Cristal, Haviland, Limoges, circa 1885 9-1/4 inches (23.5 cm) PROVENANCE: John Atzbach Antiques, Bellevue, Washington; The Kathleen Durdin Collection of Russian Decorative Arts, Tampa, Florida. The Parisian Maison de Luxe "L'Escalier de Cristal" was founded in 1808 by the widow Marie Desarnaud in the Palais-Royale, where she sold unusual custom wares to the Parisian elite. In 1863, the firm was taken over by the Pannier brothers, Henri and Georges, and moved to new premises at 6 r. Scribe and r. Auber, 1. By the 1880s, the gallery and its famous staircase with crystal risers had become a must-visit for the European aristocracy when in Paris. Shortly after their wedding in 1884, Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich (1857-1905) a younger brother of Alexander III, and his new wife, born Princess Elisabeth of Hesse-Darmstadt, visited the firm and ordered a full dinner service for their home in St. Petersburg, the former Belosselsky-Belozersky palace on the Fontanka canal. The couple were likely introduced to the firm by Serge's older brother and his wife, the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess Vladimir, who had previously ordered an exceptional service from L'Escalier de Cristal in 1880. (Cf. Zeisler, W., L'Objet d'Art et de Luxe Francais en Russie (1881-1917), Mare & Martin, Paris: 2014, pps. 112-114.) Property from the Kathleen Durdin Collection HID12401132022 © 2024 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved