Christofle: Silver-Plated Metal at the Cutting Edge of Innovation Since 1830

The silversmith’s brillance has never waned since its creation in 1830 – quite the opposite and on top of it the French company is constantly renewing itself. At auction the results are equally impressive!

The exhibition, magnificently staged at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, not only tells the story of a French silversmith company but also highlights an essential point: Christofle’s constant rejuvenation, which has always kept it at the forefront of innovation and creativity. We get straight to the heart of the matter with the presentation of several pieces from the still spectacular tableware designed for Napoleon III (though severely depleted by the Tuileries Palace fire), side by side with its latest commissions, notably for the ECAL (Ecole Cantonale d’Art de Lausanne): sneaker boxes, memory sticks and so on. The past facing the present and already looking to the future: the company in a nutshell.

A Steady Rise to Prominence

Soon after its creation in 1830, Christofle was working for the great and the good, first and foremost the newly crowned King Louis-Philippe. A pair of bells bearing the French King’s coat of arms — two pieces from the monumental service commissioned for the Château d’Eu in 1844 — went for €6,067 on July 4, 2021 in Enghien (Goxe-Belaish auction house). During this reign, Charles Christofle (1805-1863), a visionary entrepreneur, bought the patents that eventually propelled his company into the top league and towards the 20^th century, starting in 1842 with several for gilding and silvering by electrolysis, paving the way to silver-plated metal. More robust and above all less harmful than traditional techniques, these methods enabled the company to manufacture metal silverware similar in every way to pieces in solid silver. Last but not least, the acquisition ensured the company’s monopoly in this buoyant market for 15 long years. The Second Empire brought an apotheosis: at the 1855 Universal Exhibition in Paris — the first held in France — it presented Napoleon III’s grand centerpiece on a 50-meter table. Part of this was in fact produced using a revolutionary technique: electroplating, developed in 1852 by Charles Christofle’s nephew, Henri Bouilhet (1830-1902). This was a prosperous time for French silversmiths, with commissions from prestigious clients (tableware services for various ministries and the boards of legislative bodies), and appearances at universal exhibitions and agricultural competitions. The latter — forerunners of the Paris International Agricultural Show — played an important role, encouraged by the emperor himself to promote breeding, ploughing and, of course, grazing. Naturally, Christofle was involved (during the 1860s, the Ministry of Agriculture had introduced a competition appointing a silversmith to create the artworks awarded to winners for the decade), and produced pieces reflecting the dignity of the event and the subject. In Nice, in April 2024, Millon Riviera auctioned an 1870 bowl featuring peaceful sheep and a cow, all three depicted with considerable naturalism, surmounted by the pacificatory figure of Ceres, which garnered a winning bid of €24,700. This well-known model was first presented at the 1862 Universal Exhibition in London, and the late Anne Gros (1965-2021), Christofle’s heritage curator, listed some 15 awarded throughout the 1860s, including one now in the Musée d’Orsay and another sold at Château d’Artigny by Rouillac on October 5, 2020 (€26,040).
 

40,000: The number of pieces of Christofle silverware aboard Le Normandie.

A Company with Many Influences

The MAD exhibition highlights the company’s role as an incubator of ideas, always a pioneer in the aesthetics of its time — as with Japonism, a movement instrumental in regenerating the decorative arts. The company embarked on this new venture under the influence of Émile-Auguste Reiber, a collector of prints and bronzes from the Land of the Rising Sun, who oversaw the drawing and composition workshop from 1865 to 1878. The first cloisonné enamels were presented at the Paris Exhibition of 1867, after the in-house enameler Jean-Baptiste Tard had developed a process in 1865 equaling those of the Asians. Inspiration came from Persian and Indian as well as Japanese art. A few years later, at the 1878 Exhibition, Reiber was dubbed the “high priest of Japonism” by the silversmith Falize. Copies of Japanese bronzes were edited, molded on originals from Henri Cernuschi’s collection and colored by the addition of enamel and/or silver and gold. Christofle also introduced these decorative elements into its silverware collections. Seeking to reproduce their skillfully mastered effects, the company registered a patent on June 9, 1867 “for a precious metal inlay and galvanic damascening process”, using acid etching and electrolysis to replace the taxing work of inlaying by hand. These creations, though expensive, were only produced in small numbers. Rarer on the market than simple silverware, they are a great success every time they appear: a pair of candelabras recently fetched €41,600 with Gros & Delettrez, while in April 2013, under Jean-Marc Delvaux’s hammer, €29,500 went to a “Pinecone” jardinière based on the original design of 1874, the same year the silversmith was awarded the Grand Prix by the Union Centrale Des Arts Décoratifs. Meanwhile, €17,550 went to a two-handled pedestal cache-pot (Millon, Room V.V., May 29, 2020) and €11,500 to a bronze and cloisonné enamel lamp base (March 27, 2015, Mirabaud-Mercier).

From Plant to Geometric Motifs

Art Nouveau was inspired by plant motifs. In 1898, the sculptor Philippe-Joseph Joindy (1832-1906) created the “Sea” centerpiece model, which was presented at the 1900 Exhibition at a stand with the theme of “air and water”. One example, accompanied by a conch-shaped jardinière held by two mermaids, garnered €11,430 with Beaussant Lefèvre & Associés on November 26, 2021. Art Nouveau was then followed by Art Deco and the glorious period of liners: true showcases of French excellence, including Le Normandie, of course, whose foghorn first sounded in Le Havre port on May 29, 1935. Though very few pieces used on board the ship turn up at auction, just a few hundred euros will buy you silver-plated fruit bowls and champagne buckets modeled on the ones designed by the company’s artistic director from 1922 to 1946, Luc Lanel (1893-1965). The 20^th century continued its journey and Christofle its quest for modernity. In the mid-1950s, Lino Sabattini opened a silverware workshop in Milan, quickly spotted by Gio Ponti, who presented its creations alongside his own in an exhibition on transalpine design in 1956 in Paris. Tony Bouilhet, who headed Christofle from 1930 to 1969, was impressed, and appointed him director of design. He imbued pieces with new, dynamic lines and a distinct touch of humor, beautifully illustrated by the “Como” tea and coffee service. It is regularly found in silver-plated metal in the “Gallia” collection. And its solid silver version — of which there are very few examples — garnered a splendid €11,152 at Audap & Associés on April 19, 2024. Meanwhile, no history would be complete without mentioning Christofle’s be-all and end-all products: its cutlery canteens with hundreds of pieces, and its tea and coffee services. The 19^th century saw the rise of the bourgeoisie, for whom meals became an essential time for socializing and making an impression. Catering for princely and more modest tables alike, the silversmith company yet again adapted, taking advantage of the widespread use of the “Russian style” during meals, when guests were served individually and the cutlery was replaced after each course! Whether complete or partial, the silver or metal cutlery canteen is the lot most commonly found under the hammer, starting at a few hundred euros and rising to several tens of thousands — e.g. €40,000 at Briscadieu in March 2023 for the “Spatours” model (a contraction of “spatule” and “contour”.) This 18^th century-inspired collection appeared in the first catalog of 1862, and thanks to its timelessness, has transcended the ages with its luster undimmed. Like its parent company.