This whimsical clock is by the marchand-éditeur and boutique L'Escalier de Cristal, named after the crystal staircase it housed, who supplied furniture, works of art and all manner of objets de luxe including vases, lighting, furniture and clocks from showrooms in rue Auber, in the fashionable area of L'Opéra. Acquired in 1839 by M. Lahoche, the firm passed to his son-in-law, Emile Pannier, around 1864-66. In 1885, Georges and Henry Pannier succeeded their father and are recorded to have bought in 1890 design sketches from the collection of the late Édouard Lièvre: celebrated designer in ‘le style japonais et chinois’. The firm specialised in the mounting of previous Chinese porcelains and lacquers, such as this clock. They counted among their clients Tsar Alexander III, Grand Duke Alexis Alexandrovitch and the Demidoff families, and supplied pieces to the Duc de Berry and the Garde-meuble de la Couronne.