A French 19th Century Three-tone Bronze Casket Or Jewellery Box By Oudry, Paris

A French 19^th century three-tone bronze casket or jewellery box, in gilt, patinated and copper-plated bronze, by LéopoldOudry Editeur, Paris

In the shape of one of the versions of Alexander the Great sarcophagus in Alexandria. The central body of the box features cast panels with medallions on both back and front depicting Alexander’s parents Olympias & Philip ll king of Macedonia. Each medallion is divided by a central raised Classical column with laurel leaf swags and palmettes, each side has additional medallions in profile of Alexander the Great, the hinged lid surmounted by the resting Lion of Macedonia. The rectangular base with canted corners, on small toupie feet, signed to the side “L. Oudry Editeur”.

Leopold Oudry founded his electrochemical company in 1854 at 10, rue Cuissard in Paris. Oudry is known for casting vases, statues and small objects which he would coat with pure copper deposited by electroplating, a technique already used by the famous silversmith Christofle since the 1830s. Oudry was commissioned by the city of Paris to use his galvanic plating process to cast objects and monuments for the capital. Oudry for instance was asked to copper plate the monumental fountains on the Place de la Concorde in the centre of Paris, designed by Jacques Ignace Hittorff in 1840 and which used to have to be repainted every year. With this newly found success Oudry had to open new larger premises and opened at 10, route de Versailles where he employed 150 workers.
Oudry exhibited at many Expositions Universelles and won medals in 1855 at the Paris World fair and 1862 in London. The famous cast-iron company Durenne purchased Oudry’s business in the 1880s.