Felix Chopin

Félix Chopin, 21 April 1813 – 2 January 1892, Paris – French and Russian bronze and iron founder, entrepreneur, supplier to the Court of His Imperial Majesty.

Félix Chopin was born in France in 1813 into the family of the Parisian foundryman Julien Chopin. In 1838, he came to St Petersburg to work as manager at the Guérin foundry, which was threatened with bankruptcy (Guérin and Julien Chopin were partners). In 1841-1842, Felix Chopin took full ownership of the factory. He very quickly succeeded in launching the production of various bronze objects, which were in great demand. His candelabras, wall lights, chandeliers and small bronze objects cast from designs by the animal sculptor Eugène Alexandrovitch Lanceray were a big hit with customers. From 1845, he was a supplier to the court of His Imperial Majesty. He supplied gilded bronze chandeliers for the Vladimir Hall and the Facet Chamber of the Great Kremlin Palace in Moscow.

The development of Chopin’s manufactory was greatly facilitated by government orders. In the 1840s, he was commissioned to cast doors for St Isaac’s Cathedral and Christ the Saviour Cathedral in Moscow.
In 1876, Chopin took part in the Universal Exhibition in Philadelphia, where he presented his monumental chandelier for 100 candles in gilded bronze, as well as a number of porcelain products. In St Petersburg, his products were often found in churches and the homes of the nobility. Stylistically, Chopin’s work can be classified as belonging to what is known as the second rococo (or neo-rococo). Chopin continued to be a supplier to the imperial court, providing it with numerous bronzes, and organised close cooperation between his factory and the Imperial Porcelain Factory in Saint Petersburg. He supplied not only monumental works, but also minor projects such as the manufacture of fittings for doors and windows, or the repair or finishing of what was already at court. He worked mainly with Eugène Lanceray, but also created bronzes based on models by Aartemie Aubert, Mark Antokolsky, Mikhail Mikeshin, Andrei Goun and many other sculptors and artists.

Between 1867 and 1868. Chopin made 64 busts of Russian tsars and grand dukes, each 30 cm high, on the basis of a commission contract.
In 1888, Chopin entrusted the management of the factory to Charles Berthaud, with whom he had worked since 1886. He himself returned to France, where he died in 1892.