House of Odiot
FOUNDED IN 1690, the House of Odiot gained notoriety during the reign of Louis XV with Jean-Baptiste Gaspard Odiot, one of the finest silversmiths of his time.
NAPOLEON AND THE SPLENDOR OF EMPIRE period marked the beginning of a glorious chapter for the House of Odiot.
Directed by the extraordinarily talented Jean-Baptiste Claude, Jean Baptiste Gaspard’s grandson, Odiot received many prestigious orders from the Emperor and his family, such as Napoleon’s coronation sword and scepter, the magnificent cradle for the King of Rome, immense dinner services for Napoleon’s mother, and his sister Pauline Borghèse, and the Emperor’s campaign dinner service.
THE VIRTUOSITY OF ODIOT’S CREATIONS at this time, heavily influenced by the return of the antique style, and the frequent use of silver-gilt, unquestionably place them amongst the best examples of French silverware. Odiot’s reputation spread far beyond the borders of the Empire to all the Courts of Europe.
CHARLES NICOLAS ODIOT excelled in the revived rocaille style, and experimented with many new techniques, such as electroplating, which he brought back from England in 1824. He inherited the direction of Odiot in 1825 and was purveyor of silverware by appointment to His Majesty the King Louis-Philippe and to the Royal Family of Orleans.
CHARLES-NICOLAS was succeeded by his son Gustave who received the most largest order ever placed with the House of Odiot: 3,000 pieces of solid gold flatware for Saïd Pacha, the Viceroy of Egypt. Gustave later became the purveyor by appointment to the court of His Imperial Majesty the Tsar. He was the last member of the Odiot family to direct the company, which had been in the family for over two centuries!
THE HOUSE OF ODIOT is proud of its exceptionally rich heritage, marked by encounters with great historical figures, and this heritage is a source of inspiration and encouragement in the continual search to produce the most beautiful, perfectly executed objects.
ODIOT IS A UNIQUE EXAMPLE of the preservation of exceptional know-how, and can draw on an unparalleled collection of patterns, moulds and drawings in its archives, constituted from the prestigious orders taken over the centuries.
THROUGHOUT ITS HISTORY, Odiot craftsmen have made pieces that have always been creatively new and of its own time: by blending audacity and virtuosity with harmony, they continue to sign masterpieces which are present in many of the world’s greatest museums.
THIS LONG AND DISTINGUISHED HISTORY is also the fruit of the work of Odiot’s craftsmen, whose creations, in their own time, combined boldness, flair and harmony, and which can be seen on display today in many of the world’s greatest museums, as a tribute to their talent.
As the House of Odiot continues its journey, its challenge is to perpetuate, innovate and transmit, all key-words for a silversmith which has been signing its name on brilliant silver, silver-gilt and bronze objects for over 300 years ...
and for many more years to come, because the timelessness of a beautiful object transcends fashions...
http://odiot.com/en/category/history/ accessed 3/11/2019
