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Charles Ouizille

( 1744 - 1830 )

Charles Ouizille was the half brother of Loius Ouizille and was bijoutier du roi to Louis XVIII and Charles X and the last of the dynasty of goldsmiths which included Jean Ducrollay and Pierre-François Drais. Charles Ouizille became master in 1771, sponsored by Philippe-Antoine Magimel, at Quai des Orfèvres, where he stayed until 1813. Circa 1784 he became Bijoutier du Roi like the celebrated Parisian goldsmith Pierre-François Drais with whom he became partner in 1786. After the French Revolution, he became partner with Adrien-Jean-Maximilien Vachette, and received again the title of Bijoutier du Roi at the Restoration in 1816. In 1826, he was put in charge of the Crown Jewels as an inspector. Charles Ouizille seems particularly to have mastered the production of gold boxes inset with agate cameos as was the fashion in the late 1780s. He is also known to have provided Marie-Antoinette with a gold and agate casket, 1785, and another example is in the Louvre. Ouizille produced many snuffboxes and small objects using a variety of techniques, which earned him great success and the title of jeweler to the king in 1784, a title he shared with Pierre-François Drais. Jacques-Joseph De Gault provided these jewelers with miniatures to decorate their works.