Susse (19th century)
Susse Company awarded medals several times at the famous Paris "Expositions des Produits de l’Industrie", Susse Frères (Brothers), Victor (1806-1860) and Amédée (1808- 1880), were known since 1841 as makers of "Art bronze pieces for clocks, candelabras, statuettes, etc". Installed Place de la Bourse in Paris, they also presented at the second storage of their luxurious shop "fine furniture, ormolu mounted porcelain pieces and art objects". As a worldwide reknown foundry, the Susse company began to cast pieces as soon as the first half of the 19th century The most wellknown French sculptors gave their sculpted models to Susse in order to cast them, such Pradier who signed in 1841 the oldest known publishing contract for bronzes between a publisher and an artist. After the death of the two brothers, Albert Susse took over the business from 1880 until 1922.
Pierre-Philippe Thomire (1751-1843)
Pierre-Philippe Thomire was considered as one of the most talented bronze-chaser under the First Empire. He studied chasing with the renowned Pierre Gouthière (1732-1813) and installe then in 1776 his Paris workshop, where all the famous cabinet-makers and the Sèvres Manufacture went into, to embellish their own production. Thomire was many time commissioned to ornate with light fittings and clocks the various Imperial residences, such as the Tuileries Palace, the Saint-Cloud Palace and the Fontainebleau Palace.
Armand Toussaint (1806-1862)
Armand Toussaint (1806-1862) who was son of a Paris locksmith, trained with him before entering the Paris Fine Arts School in 1827. He followed the sculpture teachings of David d’Angers (1788-1856) and won the second Grand Prix de Rome in 1832 with the subject of Capaneus strucked down under the walls of Thebes. Toussaint exhibited the first time at the Salon of 1836 by presenting A young Farmer finding a Sword. He obtained a third class medal at the Salon of 1839 and a second class medal to the 1847 Salon. Armand Toussaint has specialized very early in monumental sculptures with reliefs and figures, such in 1839 at the PèreLachaise cimetery for the Forestier’s tomb with A seated young Woman. The following year he participated in the project of the Dampierre Castle by making for the Duke of Luynes the sculpted decor of the main staircase and the Four Seasons drawing room. At the Salon of 1847, he exhibited the Indian Slave holding a torch and the Indian Slave maid holding a torch. On February 23, 1850 the French Home Office commissioned him to cast in bronze these both sculptures. The pair was then delivered to the Elysee Palace, France President residence. These two torcheres were cast by Marly-Graux and Barbedienne under the title The two Indians. Besides, the Barbedienne foundry also cast further Armand Toussaint’s works, such the medallion Laissez venir à moi les petits Enfants, made in four sizes. In 1851, it made thus Law, Justice and Two seated Children for the clock of the Justice Palace in Paris. He executed several statues for the west front of Our-Lady Cathedral in Paris (St Marcel, St Peter, St Etienne, St Martin). In 1852 Toussaint was awarded the Cross of the Legion of Honor. In 1854 he made one of his greatest commands: the pediment of the newly built St. Clotilde Church in Paris, representing Christ surrounded by two angels bearing the instruments of the Passion. Also portraitist, Armand Toussaint sculpted a bust of David d’Angers in 1861 (exhibited in the David d’Angers museum, Angers) and a statue of Dr. Esquirol (1860, Charenton Hospital).
Willem Jan van den Berghe (1823-1901)
Willem Jan van den Berghe, born in 1823 in The Hague, Holland, became known as a painter of genre subjects and landscapes animated with figures. He participated in the 1858 exhibition held in Amsterdam.
Georges van der Straeten (1856-1928)
Georges van der Straeten, born in Ghent (Belgium) in 1856, dead 1928 in Paris, began his sculptor career in 1882, after having trained as a lawyer. He studied sculpture in Belgium under G. Kasteleyn and Jef Lambeaux, and left then Ghent for Paris, where he lived from 1883 until 1928. He met there a group of Belgian artists and was in particular very close to the painters Jan Van Beers and Rik Wouters. Straeten exhibited regularly his works at the Salon. He took inspiration from Antoine Watteau’s paintings to realize his numerous busts, made with elegant gestures and full of lively charm.
Joseph van Severdonck (1819-1905)
Joseph van Severdonck was a Belgian painter. He studied painting under Baron Wappers (1803-1874) from Anvers. He specialized in historical and military paintings, including animals, what also classified J. van Severdonck among animal painters. He also painted classic style allegories. He became professor at the Royal Academy of Brussels and had many pupils, among them, Walter Shaw Sparrow, whom considered him a "noted character" and wrote of him in his memoirs. J. van Severdonck is considered to be one of the last representative painter of the Rubens School. He also became the appointed professor to Queen Marie Henriette, wife of King Leopold II of Belgium.
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