97 60
Crafting with style
BETWEEN TRADITION AND DESIGN, THE sILVERSMITH WORKSHOP RICHARD orfèvre FORGES ART DE VIVRE UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF ITS YOUNG DIRECTOR JEAN–PIERRE COTTET-DUBREUIL
Audacious of the forging hammer has echoed for over one hundred years, this workshop carries on a centuries-old tradition at the service of French art de vivre. In 1910, Edmond Ricard took over the Grandvigne house and decided to turn the speciality of the ancient workshop towards tableware in sterling silver. In 1932, Edmond Ricard’s daughter married Marcel Richard and together they founded the Etablissement d’Orfèvrerie Richard. Jacques Richard, Marcel’s son, succeeded his parents in 1952 and infused new momentum into the atelier by developing a collection of gold and silver birth gifts and accepting custom orders. Continuing along the lines of constant evolution, in the 1970s the company diversified its activities by specialising in the restoration of antique silver pieces. In 1994 Danielle and Francis Régala, silversmiths and great craftsmen, enthusiastically committed themselves to building the future of the company and of its stunning legacy of artworks and know-how. Jean-Pierre Cottet-Dubreuil took up the reins of Richard Orfèvre after working ten years alongside the Régalas, learning the secrets of their craft, and the enterprise was conferred the prestigious title of “Living Heritage Company” in 2010. “As a member of the fifth generation of silversmiths at the Maison, it was only natural that I would continue to guard our truly exceptional expertise and at the same time
PARIS’S PRECIOUS HEART Top, In the heart of Paris, Jean–Pierre Cottet-Dubreuil represents the artistic and artisanal soul of the historic silversmith workshop Richard Orfèvre (30 rue des Gravilliers; tel. +33.1.42721305; www.orfevrerie-richard.com). In 2014 the house received the “Talent de L’Audace” prize from the Centre du Luxe et de la Création. Above, Cosmos box in silver and galuchat. Opposite page, the revisited version of a classic Versailles chandelier.
060 Eng_JP Cottet Dubreuil.indd 60
Bertrand Corbara
Richard Orfèvre is one of the last remaining silversmiths in the heart of Paris. In recognition of its tradition and excellence, in November 2014 the Centre du Luxe et de la Création awarded the atelier with the annual Talent du Luxe prize in the category of “Audacity”. The workshop’s director, Jean-Pierre Cottet-Dubreuil, received the award. The prize is well deserved, recognising a business where a dynamic vision of the future goes hand in hand with the transmission of unique and sophisticated expertise. Hidden at the back of an incredibly charming courtyard in Paris’s third arrondissement, where the sound
05/03/15 18:22