page_title: Henri Duponchel
section_title: Gold and silver dealer and manufacturer
hierarchical_section_title: Henri Duponchel / Gold and silver dealer and manufacturer
caption_attribution_description: English: The nine-foot-tall chryselephantine sculpture Minerve by Simart and Duponchel, first exhibited in the Palais des Beaux-Arts at the Paris International Exhibition of 1855, and later located at the Château de Dampierre.
context_page_description: Henri Duponchel was in turn a French architect, interior designer, costume designer, stage designer, stage director, managing director of the Paris Opera, and a silversmith. He has often been confused with Charles-Edmond Duponchel, a contemporary who also lived and worked in Paris.
context_section_description: On 11 February 1842, not long after Duponchel first quit as director of the Opéra, he signed a contract with the silversmith and lapidary, Jean-Valentin Morel, who had formerly been in the workshop of Jean-Baptiste Fossin. Totally ignorant of silversmithing, Duponchel brought to the enterprise taste and energy, as well as considerable capital, acquired from the sale of his opera privilège to Pillet for 500,000 francs. Having been to London in 1825, 1836 and 1838, he was convinced that the state of the art of silversmithing in France was comparable to that in England. Their venture, set up in an apartment at 39 rue Neuve-Saint-Augustin and called Morel & Cie, became very successful. At the exhibition of 1844 Morel received a gold medal.
  By the end of 1846, however, disagreements had sprung up between the two associates, resulting in a lawsuit won by Duponchel, which brought about the dissolution of the partnership, and awarded him sole possession of the property and merchandise. Morel was forbidden to continue with silversmithing in Paris and moved his business to London in a partnership with Fossin's son Jules. In the meantime, Duponchel had regained his directorship at the Opéra, where he remained until 13 November 1849, but also continued to successfully operate the gold and silver business with other associates as shown by their participation in the exposition of 1849.
  The firm's masterpiece is the ivory and silver chryselephantine sculpture Minerve, commissioned by the Duke of Luynes for the salle des fêtes in his Château of Dampierre. The statue is a reproduction of the ancient Greek sculptor Phidias's Athena Parthenos, known to the Romans as Minerva. The sculptor Pierre-Charles Simart began creating the model in the spring of 1844, and the Maison Duponchel began its execution in 1846, finishing in 1851. Silver was used for the goddess's tunic and shield, and bronze for the serpent and weapons. Ivory was used for the areas of flesh: the goddess's face, neck, arms, and feet; the torso of Victory (held in the goddess's hand); and the head of Medusa on the shield. The concave side of the shield depicts the combat between the Amazons and the Athenians, and the convex side, a battle between the Giants and the Gods. The sandals depict the dispute of the Centaurs with the Lapiths. The repoussé and chasing was done by Delagrange de Lagny. The statue stands on a marble pedestal with bas-reliefs showing Pandora receiving gifts from the gods. The finished statue including the pedestal is more than nine feet tall, and it was exhibited at the Paris International Exhibition of 1855. To Duponchel's great annoyance, the organizers required him to exhibit the work in the Palais des Beaux-Arts, rather than the Palais de l'Industrie, which was drawing far larger crowds. Despite this, the piece attracted much attention, both at the exhibit and in the press, and it won a Medal of Honour.
caption: Minerve by Simart and Duponchel (1855)
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