Froment Meurice
Paris 1883, p.63) Wonderful example of the Romantic craftsmanship by Froment–Meurice (1801-1855). This silversmith proves his ability in realising pieces inspired from the different styles of the past, such as the neo-gothic toilette set for the Duchess of Parma, or the unusual ‘Coupe des Vendanges’, in Renaissance style. Froment-Meurice was very well known, especially in the intellectual circles. Balzac calls him ‘mon Benvenuto’, Victor Hugo dedicated a poem to him in his ‘Contemplations’: ‘Ne dis pas: Mon art n’est rien, sors de la route tracée, Ouvrier magicien, Et mêle l’or à la pensée.’ He is a friend of Théophile Gautier, who describes him as a director of an orchestra of artists, sculptors, chisellers, gilders, enamellers and jewellers.
Froment Meurice