Susse frères

The only grand foundry still in activity while created in the first part of the 19th century. From Lorraine, Jean Susse came in Paris in 1758 and had different little jobs. He became furnisher of the ’Menus-Plaisirs’ of the King. In 1806, Nicolas and Michel Victor Susse, probably his sons, establish passage of the Panoramas as paper manufacturers. They also sell statuettes in bronze or plaster. Susse begins to edit bronzes and publishes a catalogue of six pages in 1839. The same year, the name of Susse is mentioned for the first time at the Exposition of industry’s products. The firm is directed since 1830 by the sons of Michel Victor Susse : Victor (1806-1860) and Amédée (1808-1880). In 1841, they open a new shop situated place of the Bourse, where the front says : ‘Art bronzes for clocks, statuettes, candelabra, etc…’. Editor of Pradier, Marochetti, Nieuwerkerque, Mélingue, etc… Also editor of antics’ reductions by the Sauvage mechanic process. Victor and Amédée Susse signed with Pradier the oldest edition contract ever known. In 1847, they were allowed to use the Sauvage reduction process, similar at the Achille Colas’ one. A lot of artists are mentioned in the Susse catalogues published under the Second Empire. We can find : Duret, Jacquemart, Antonin Moine, Moigniez, etc…

After Victor’s death, in 1860, Amédée Susse still alone until his death. Albert Susse succeeded at the director of the firm from 1880 to 1922. A new impulsion is given, he develops the foundry and opens a new fancy shop in the beginning of the 20th century. The catalogues of that time would propose the complete and exclusive edition of the Mène, Cain, Lanceray works and editions of a lot of other artists’ works. The son of Albert, Jacques Susse and then his proper son, André will succeed to Albert. When André died in 1960, his widowed controlled the firm until 1970. Nowadays, the Foundry-Susse society, is still working in Arcueil, practicing the sand ‘s fount and the cire-perdue’s fount. The reputation stills the same : of high quality.