Thanks to a revolutionary patented process, Christofle has made a name for itself on the world’s most prestigious tables, from imperial and even presidential golds to the exceptional meals of the bourgeoisie. Renowned for its silver cutlery, crystal vases and glassware, the French House of Haute Orfèvrerie has not hesitated in 200 years to shake up the codes of the art of the table, going so far as to create containers as compact as they are designer: the famous MOOD collection.
For many customers, especially those from abroad, Christofle is synonymous with silverware, particularly in the Louis XV style. Christofle’s cutlery, with its asymmetrical details of acanthus leaves and shells, is one of the company’s best-sellers.
However, since its foundation in 1830, the Maison de Haute Orfèvrerie has managed to renew itself by developing a product range that reflects the major economic and sociological changes of its time, as well as by collaborating with the greatest contemporary artists.
Appealing to the aristocracy as well as the rising middle classes, the French manufacture has found its way onto the tables of palaces, grand residences, luxury hotels, the most prestigious means of transport and beyond, into the celebrations of the most fervent epicureans.
Above all, Christofle has associated its name with a revolutionary technical process: electrolytic gilding and silvering, making it one of the pioneers of accessible luxury.
The “Christofle, une brillante histoire ”exhibition at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, which runs until April 20, 2025, allows us to look back at the development of this major player in tableware in France and abroad.
A democratization that doesn’t say its name
Born in 1805 into a family of small-scale industrialists specialized in the manufacture of buttons, under the reign of Napoleon 1st, the founder of the company, Charles Christofle, was first and foremost a jeweler. He acquired this know-how at the age of 15, when he apprenticed with his brother-in-law Hugues Calmette, a “provincial” copper jewelry maker based in the 10th arrondissement of Paris.
At the age of 25, Charles Christofle became a partner before taking over management of the factory in 1830. The company now bore his name: Christofle. The young man registers his master’s mark at the Garantie de Paris, for the manufacture of gold jewelry. Fifteen years later, the company specializes in silver plating and custom gilding.
Always on the lookout for technical innovations, the young goldsmith made a discovery that would make his fame and fortune: electrolytic gilding and silvering. In 1842, he acquired the French patents held by Henri de Ruolz and the English Henry and George Richards Elkington. For fifteen years, Charles Christofle was the only goldsmith to produce silver- or gold-plated objects on an industrial scale using this process, reputed to be less harmful than mercury plating.
Stronger and lighter than solid silver, this silver- or gold-plated metal is also more affordable. Less costly to produce, this new silverware can now be found on the tables of a growing bourgeoisie, enriched by the Industrial Revolution. But what Le Figaro hailed as a “marvellous invention” was so coveted that Charles Christofle had to successfully defend his interests in no fewer than 358 lawsuits, according to L’Echo de Paris, dated December 15, 1935.
Royal goldsmith and supplier to the Emperor
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Featured Photo: © Christofle
