Alphonse Fouquet (1828 - 1911) French Goldsmith and Jeweller

Alphonse Fouquet (1828 – 1911) was a French goldsmith and jeweller. He was the Father of Georges Fouquet.

Biography

From 1839, Fouquet worked for various manufacturers of inexpensive jewellery in Paris. In 1854, he began working as a designer with Jules Chaise; in 1855, he joined Carre et Christofle working with Léon Rouvenat; in c1860, he established his jewellery business, 176 rue du Temple, Paris. His early jewellery was in neo-Greek and neo-Renaissance styles, indistinguishable from Vever, Fossin, Morel, and Mellerio. Fouquet produced heavy, complicated pieces with chimera and fantastic animals set with large diamonds and sapphires; in the 1870s, he began to design the complex neo-Renaissance pieces for which he became best known, heavily- worked gold items with painted enamels. Carrier-Belleuse produced the sculpture, Honoré the engraving, and Grandhomme the enamelling on one bracelet alone.

In 1860, Fouquet moved the business and, in 1879, moved again to 35 avenues de L’Opéra, Paris. When he retired in 1895, his son Georges Fouquet, who with his brother-in-law had joined the firm in 1891, assumed the directorship.

Recognition

In 1888, he received the Légion d’honneur. His work was shown, and he received gold medals at Paris’ Expositions Universelles’ 1878-89. Fouquet family work subject of 1983 exhibition, Paris Musée des Arts Décoratifs.

French Dragon Brooch by Alphonse Fouquet

Sources

Byars, M., & Riley, T. (2004). The design encyclopedia. Laurence King Publishing. https://amzn.to/3ElmSlL

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