Christofle

Christofle is a French retail and manufacturing company founded in Paris, France, in 1830. They are well-known for their technical innovations such as patenting metallic fabrics and introducing electrolytic gilding to France. Christofle attracted popularity and recognition at events such as the Exhibition of Products of French Industry in Paris in 1839 and the Universal Exhibition of Paris in 1855. Royal patronage followed many of these major awards. One of the first major commissions was by Louis-Philippe, who ordered a full service for Château d’Eu. Napoleon III is another benefactor and for whom Christofle created a massive epergne, now in the Museum of Decorative Arts in Paris.

The company’s dedication to creative approaches is found both in their development of new techniques as well as their long history of collaborating with artists. They have employed numerous artists and designers, including Man Ray, Gio Ponti, Jean Cocteau, Lino Sabatini and Andrée Putman, among many others. They continue to work alongside living artists today to create contemporary functional and sculptural works.

Major pieces from Christofle’s workshop can be found in collections such as those at the Louvre, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Victoria & Albert Museum.