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Fonderia di Tusey
Tusey Foundry, "Polyhymnia," Imposing Cast Iron Sculpture 19th century
1896

About the Item

Impressive cast iron sculpture titled "Polymnie," Tusey Foundry, late 19th century. In modern times Tusey, a village in the Meuse, was best known for its renowned foundry. The foundry later took the names Muel, Muel et Wahl, Zégut Gasne, Dufilhol et Chapal, Dufilhol, Chevaillier... It is one of the most important companies specializing in artistic casting. Established in 1832 by Pierre Adolphe Muel, a member of a family of Vosges ironworking masters, the Tusey foundries were oriented from the beginning toward the manufacture of cast iron artistic objects. Muel will create the two fountains and sixteen rostral columns at Place de la Concorde (1837-1838). This cast-iron street furniture, a symbol of the union of Art and Industry, created by Jacques Hittorff is the first and masterful example of a production that would revolutionize urban planning and export a French art of living around the world. In his treatise: On Foundry as it exists in France..., André Guettier, a professor at the Royal School of Arts and Crafts in Angers, and former director of the Tusey foundry (1839-1843), describes precisely the techniques for making and lining the Place de la Concorde fountains. It thus testifies to perfectly mastered know-how from the first half of the 19th century. Muel joined forces with Wahl in 1840. Later the factory was taken over by Ed Zegut (1862-1874), a former associate of the founder of the Haute Marne art, Antoine Durenne. Louis Gasne succeeded him in 1874. During the 1889 World's Fair in Paris, there were plans to present a monumental fountain under the Eiffel Tower, but this creation was not ready in time, which explains why the fountain was made of plaster and was never done. He took over the Thiébaut foundry in 1896. In 1861, Jean Baptiste Barbe and his son Paul Barbe became the owners of the Forges de Tusey. Zégut then Gasne entered into a contract with Louis Thiriot, a model owner in Paris (92, rue Amelot). Some Thiriot models appear in the Zégut catalog. Gasne's (1890) includes all the models in the Thiriot catalog (1887). These models will be purchased by Capitain-Gény and Salin (master forgers and brothers-in-law) at an undetermined date. A number of them now appear in the funds of these companies that became Ferry-Captain and Ateliers Salin. In 1896, the factory passed into the hands of Paul Dufilhol (1860-1937) and Gaston Chapal (1871-1921). Gaston Chapal's stay in Tusey was short-lived; in 1898 he took over, with his father, the Kerloc foundries and workshops in Auray. At the same time, he managed the sawmills and workshops in Voutenay (Yonne). Paul Dufilhol, owner from 1897 to 1904, continued the foundry business alone until his bankruptcy in 1904. He enriched the collection with artistic models. In 1906, the factory was bought by Laurent Chevailler, who produced war memorials and ceased production of artistic characters around 1920. Laurent Chevailler's heirs succeeded him (there is a 1925 catalog that no longer includes artistic characters, but simply blacksmithing elements): balconies, window sills, etc.). This company was taken over by Pierre Esch in 1935. It merged with Ateliers et Fonderies de Meuse (formerly Fonderie Jeanne d'Arc in Vaucouleurs), which became Fonderies de Vaucouleurs in 1961. The Tusey site was abandoned in 1963, and production of the mechanical cast iron was redirected to Vaucouleurs. Present at the Universal Expositions from 1851 to 1900 and the National Expositions, this foundry regularly won awards and medals. Polymnie, an imposing cast iron sculpture measuring 112 cm in height, is published in the Fonderie de Tusey catalog for the years 1895 and 1896, during Dufilhol's direction, on page 76. The foundry had made, uniquely, the statue of the nine Muses and their guide, Apollo. Traces of Tusey's F.ie signature are still visible at the base of the sculpture. Traces of gilding at crown and hammer. Upon request I can provide photos from the catalog, which accompany the sculpture. Original patina. Excellent state of conservation.

Creator:

Fonderia di Tusey (1832 - 1904, French)

Creation Year:

1896

Dimensions:

Height: 44.1 in (112 cm)Width: 13.39 in (34 cm)Depth: 11.82 in (30 cm)

Medium:

Iron

Movement & Style:

French School

Period:

1890-1899