Very Large And Rare Louis XVI Style Fireback (131x114 Cm)

Very important and rare Louis XVI-style fireback, cast in Franche-Comté under the Consulate, at the Loulans forges in Haute-Saône, in perfect condition.
Marked A. B. and dated 1803, in a medallion, encircled by holly branches tied with a ribbon, with a streamer stamped . A . LOULANS, are flanked by two turned columns topped by a flowering bouquet, two sunflower medallions hemmed with pearls on either side and two flowering vases at the top to complete the ornamentation. The frame is adorned with a frieze of ovals and a string of pearls.

Weight: 235 kg.


Forges de Loulans et Larians
Melted at Loulans les Forges (Loulans-Verchamp) and at Larians (Larians et Munans), in Haute-Saône, these plates marked PL, LL, LOULANS or unmarked, but of the same model, from the Louis XVI period for the oldest, of larger size with more refined frames (frieze of oves and darts and string of pearls) will be reproduced in smaller sizes with simpler frames (string of pearls or simple set of moldings and listel with fillet for the simplest) while retaining the original molds. In the mid-nineteenth century, foundries turned to the manufacture of stoves, stoves, furnaces and, in particular, heating appliances.

The Loulans forges, in operation since 1562 and owned by the Montmarin family, lords of Loulans, doubled their production in the eighteenth century, by the Rochet family of forge masters and owned by the Boistouset family. In 1737, its furnace was authorized for the joint operation of the rock mines of the Loulans and Larians furnaces. From 1791 to 1805, the plant was operated by Nicolas Gauthier, master of forges. Around 1820, it was sold to Sieur Henry and operated by François Bernard Derosne, master of forges at Grâce-Dieu in the Doubs region. By 1825, it was producing mainly cast-iron products such as furnaces, hydrants and ornamental cast-iron. The blast furnace, which employed around a hundred workers before it was shut down in 1870, was dismantled, but activity continued until the factory closed in 1888.

The Larians forges, whose old building bearing the date 1656 has now disappeared, were operated by the Bouchet family during the second half of the 18th century. Owned by Nicolas Damotte in 1811, they were acquired around 1820 by François Bernard Derosne, forge master at Grâce-Dieu (Doubs), and operated jointly with the neighboring Loulans furnace. The plant changed management several times before the blast furnace was shut down in 1862 or 1863. Between 1894 and 1900, it was operated by Derosne et Cie, before being sold in 1959 to Dartevelle, shortly afterwards succeeded by Girardet-Dartevelle. The plant was taken over in 1991 by Société des Fonderies de Treveray (55), part of the Hachette-Driout group and still in business today, producing alloy cast iron.

Plates marked PL should read Pont-les-Moulins and Larians, as these two forges were linked by forge master François Bernard Derosne, who in 1802 acquired the forges of La Grâce-Dieu and then Pont-les-Moulins, selling them in 1836 to settle in Larians. He had owned the latter since 1820 (formerly owned by Nicolas Damotte in 1811), and operated it in conjunction with the Loulans forge.
The Pont-les-Moulins forges were known as early as 1401, and were leased in conjunction with the mine near Baume-les-Dames.

Sources:
- Similar plates Musée comtois de Besançon
- Pop.culture, Patrimoine architectural (Mérimée), Raphaël Favereaux, for Loulans and Larians, very complete notes.
- Pierre Gresser, De la mine à la forge en Franche-Comté, des origines au XIXème siècle, 1990, page 117/127/143.
- Journal de la société statistique de Paris, tome 65 (1924), p. 111.
- Archives départementales du Doubs : 9J Forges de la Grâce-Dieu à Pont-les-Moulins et Larians.
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