Paul Grandhomme (1851,

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. ...

, France – 1944, Saint-Briac-sur-Mer, France) was a French medalist, engraver and enameller.

Life

He was originally trained as a jeweller, but the 1871 Franco-Prussian war forced him to become a librarian. This proved to be the start of his enamelling career as, after reading

Claudius Popelin Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (; 1 August 10 BC – 13 October AD 54) was the fourth Roman emperor, ruling from AD 41 to 54. A member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, Claudius was born to Drusus and Antonia Minor a ...

’s history of enamelling, Grandhomme became fascinated by the technique. After studying with Auguste Mollard, an enameller who was experienced in the chemistry of enamelling, and Jules-Clément Chaplain, he worked with

Pierre Puvis de Chavannes Pierre Puvis de Chavannes (14 December 1824 – 24 October 1898) was a French painter known for his mural painting, who came to be known as "the painter for France". He became the co-founder and president of the Société Nationale des Beau ...

and Jules-Élie Delaunay, and was influenced by his friend and fellow artist,

Raphaël Collin Louis-Joseph-Raphaël Collin (17 June 1850 – 21 October 1916) was a French painter born and raised in Paris, where he became a prominent academic painter and a teacher. He is principally known for the links he created between French and Jap ...

. In 1874 he presented work at the Salon of French Artists (

Salon des artistes français The Salon (french: Salon), or rarely Paris Salon (French: ''Salon de Paris'' ), beginning in 1667 was the official art exhibition of the Académie des Beaux-Arts in Paris. Between 1748 and 1890 it was arguably the greatest annual or biennial art ...

), an enamel portrait of

Vittoria Colonna Vittoria Colonna (April 149225 February 1547), marchioness of Pescara, was an Italian noblewoman and poet. As an educated, married noblewoman whose husband was in captivity, Colonna was able to develop relationships within the intellectual ci ...

. In 1877 he began to collaborate with his pupil Alfred Jean Garnier, and together they presented further work at the Salon des artistes français, including a Virgin in the style of Carlo Crivelli, and a portrait of Edward VII. Together they won the gold medal at the Exposition Universelle (1889), 1889 Universal Exhibition in Paris. They were also the last enamellers to collaborate with Gustave Moreau. Another frequent collaborator of Grandhomme's was Jules Brateau, a silversmith and metal-worker. Grandhomme used his flat as his studio, with his dining room as the main area of work, and using a furnace in his kitchen to bake the enamel. Grandhomme also worked with the Falize Jewellery house, particularly Lucien Falize. He is buried in Saint-Briac-sur-Mer. His tomb is topped by a bronze statue created by Émile Armel-Beaufils and his wife.

Works

Grandhomme worked mainly in the Limoges enamel, Limoges School Revival style. A variety of Grandhomme's work is displayed at the Musée d'Orsay, including a series of enamelled tableaux on Greek mythological themes that he created with Garnier in the style of Gustave Moreau. Two of his enamelled medals are on show at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. A pre-World War I commemorative medal he made was part of a Victoria and Albert Museum exhibition on 'European Commemorative Medals for the Great War'.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grandhomme, Paul 1944 deaths 1850s births French medallists 20th-century French sculptors 19th-century French sculptors French male sculptors 19th-century French male artists