Thomire Pierre-Philippe

Pierre-Philippe Thomire, born in Paris on December 6, 1751 and died in the same city on June 9, 1843, is a French sculptor, bronzier, founder, chaser and gilder.
One of the most remarkable bronziers of his generation, he is recognized for his production of furnishing bronze under the Ancien Régime.
In 1765, he studied sculpture at the Académie de Saint-Luc under the direction of Augustin Pajou and Jean-Antoine Houdon. The latter, who would have liked to make him a sculptor, very early on gave him important orders. It was probably at the instigation of his two masters that the Academy awarded the first medal to Thomire sculptor in July 1772. Too little rich to cope with the considerable expenditure of statuary art, Thomire, born into a family of carvers, was not immune to family atavism. He renounces the works of sculpture and enters the studio of bronzier Pierre Gouthière. He very quickly acquired a perfect knowledge of the trade, in particular of matt gilding, which made the glory of his master. Set up on his own account in 1776 rue Saint-Martin, after the bankruptcy of Gouthière in the mid-1780s, he was the most famous chaser.
He elevated this profession under the Empire to its highest level of quality, while in the early years of the 19th century, he created an industrial company with European influence. He retired in 1823.