Thiébaut Frères

THIÉBAUT FRÈRES, Paris.
Chessboard, ca. 1880.
Gilt bronze and enamel.
Signed and located on the side.
It shows wear and marks of use.
Measurements: 6.5 x 50 x 50 cm.

Chessboard in white and blue enamel, with gilded bronze support and frame. Four sphinxes in gilded bronze worked in round bulk occupy the corners, working as sculptural feet of the board. Leafy skirts and friezes of borders, scrolls and masks complete the refined bronze decoration. Enamel medallions with floral representations decorate each of the corners.

This is a sumptuous piece made in the workshops of the prestigious house of Thiébaut, which in 1880 opened a new workshop on the rue de l'Opéra, an address that is engraved on the bronze, which allows us to date the work and identify Henri Leon Thiébaut (grandson of the founder) as the author of the sculptures. Henri Léon Thiébault (1855-1899) was a French sculptor, engraver and medal caster who took charge of Thiébaut Frères in the 1970s until his death.

Thiébaut Frères is the name of a Parisian foundry responsible for an enormous amount of sculptural works in metal during the 19th century and the first quarter of the 20th century. It was Charles Cyprien Thiébaut (1769-1830), son of a humble tanner who, thanks to his work in a small workshop of which he became director at the age of 18, initiated the career of the firm. In 1827, his son Charles Antoine Floréal became the sole manager of the company after a period in which they both worked as partners. Charles Antoine adopts the name of Thiébaut Sr., establishing himself on Rue de Faubourg-Saint-Denis. Charles Antoine began to collaborate with his own son Victor (born in 1828) under the brand name Thiébaut & Sons. They produce artistic bronzes. Victor Thiébaut brought the firm great prosperity. In 1851, he created the foundry for objets d'art, from which he initially obtained unrefined molds that he sent to other manufacturers, such as Barbedienne, for auction. Victor also made stretcher frames for monumental works such as Duret's Saint Michael attacking the Dragon or the sculpture of Napoleon Bonaparte that Dumont designed for the column in the Place du Vendome. Victor handed over the company to his three sons Victor, Jules and Henri, who was also a sculptor. The year was 1870 and the Franco-Prussian war demanded support from the foundries for the war effort, so it was not until 1877 that the Thiébaut brothers moved the workshops from Rue de Faubourg to Rue de Villiers (now Rue Guersant), and it was not until 1880 that they opened their store on Avenue de l'Opera. Among the countless bronzes created by the foundry in this period, some monumental works include the Gloria Victis by Mercié, the monument to the defense of Paris by Barrias, the sculpture of Alexandre Dumas father by Gustave Doré, and the reduction of the Statue of Liberty created by Bartholdi for the Grenelle bridge, thanks to these and other works the studio gained international reputation and participated in various exhibitions. They developed a prolific production at the international level, with pieces such as the monument to Christopher Columbus for Havana in commemoration of the fourth centenary of the Discovery of America, today located in Valladolid (see Monument to Columbus (Valladolid)). In 1898 Rodin signed a tenancy contract with the company for the editions of St. John the Baptist and the Triumphant Youth in various sizes. At the beginning of the 20th century, Victor Thiébaut sold his foundry to Gasne, who was succeeded by Malesset and Fulda, from whom Fumiere (alone) bought the rights to use the "Thiebaut Freres" trademark in 1919. In 1926, the firm stopped its activity and all the molds were sold.