At the beginning of Alexander I's reign, French master Alexander Guerin arrived in St. Petersburg with the dream of starting his own business and opened a bronze foundry on Vasilyevsky Island in 1805. In 30 years, Guerin managed to achieve great success, and by the early 1840s his workshop was considered one of the largest in St. Petersburg. In 1838, when Guerin was about 60 years old, he hired the son of his long-time Parisian companion, Felix Chopin, to become managing director.
Despite the fact that Felix Yulyanovich (as he came to be called in his new homeland) was only 25 years old when he came to Russia, he was no longer only an experienced foundry, but also an experienced merchant. The young man quickly got used to being a manager, and in just 3 years he owned all the production, together with the stores.
The following year, 1843, Chopin won a gold medal for the high quality of interior bronze at the 7th Exhibition of Russian Manufactures in Moscow. Among the examples of the workshop's work was a bust that demonstrated Russia's first independent experience in using the galvanic gilding method. Most likely, it was not yet perfect, so on November 6, 1844, the process was repeated in the presence of the inventor himself, Professor Boris Semenovich (Maurice Herman) Jacobi.
On March 7, 1845, at a meeting of the Academy of Sciences, Duke Maximilian of Leuchtenberg, friend and patron of B. S. Jacoby announced the establishment of the first electroplating facility in St. Petersburg. According to some researchers, Chopin's electroplating factory was founded precisely at the expense of the Duke, who wanted to improve the method of gilding surfaces “through fire”, since the latter was associated with the use of mercury and caused serious poisoning among gilding workers.
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In the 1840s and 1850s, Chopin received large orders from the government and the court. These include a number of works for the interiors of the Winter Palace, monumental doors for St. Isaac's Cathedral in St. Petersburg and the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow, lighting fixtures and interior bronze for the Grand Kremlin Palace, chandeliers, clocks, chandeliers for the Marble Palace and the royal suburban residences. The plant also produced various bronze frames for products from the Imperial Porcelain and Glass Factories and the Peterhof Lapidary Factory.
The interior bronze of that time was in line with fashion and was performed mainly in the neo-Rococo style. Such items had a complex ornamental and plastic form. Watches, chandeliers, table legs, and floor lamps were decorated with dynamic, intricate decor of acanthus and grape leaves, and the composition also included frolicking putti, satyrs and bacchae women.
In 1847, Chopin expanded production by adding to the bronze establishment an iron foundry with metalworks for casting various machines and projectiles, as well as making cast iron and iron decorations for entrances, balconies, grilles, fireplaces, fountains, spiral staircases, benches, tables and stools. In the 1860s, the iron foundry outnumbered bronze foundry in terms of the number of employees.
The busts of Russian rulers played a special role in Chopin's career. In 1840, he discovered marble busts made by Italian sculptor A. Penna. They had a somewhat arbitrary image, but despite this, Chopin took advantage of the idea and nine years later presented 63 life-size busts of Russian rulers.
Fifteen years later, Chopin presented smaller versions of them at an international exhibition in Paris. At this difficult time for the factory and the entire economy, the transition from large busts to smaller copies was a good move, as they were now office sculptures and were in great demand. In a smaller version, the series consisted of 64 busts. Thanks to his patent, Chopin reserved the exclusive right to manufacture these products for a specified time. The busts were available by subscription through a newspaper ad.
In the 1860s, Chopin continued to make products mainly based on French models. Following Guerin's traditions, Chopin cast a variety of interior bronzes with high quality workmanship. At the 1861 exhibition, Chopin was awarded the Order of St. Stanislav, 3rd degree. At that time, in addition to bronze castings, the factory also made monuments and church utensils, and produced items made from silver, zinc and its alloys.
Despite the fact that the factory was quite large, well-equipped and produced products that were in demand, Chopin periodically experienced financial difficulties, which were aggravated after the Crimean War. However, a large government order received by Chopin in time saved the manufacturer from ruin.
In 1870, to reduce production costs and lower the selling price of products, the store and factory were moved to Obukhovsky Prospekt and merged into one place. At this time, Chopin focuses on making chamber cabinet sculptures based on French and Russian models.
In the 1870s and 1880s, the factory's success was primarily attributed to the name of Eugene Lancere. Felix Chopin, an aspiring author at the time, was able to discern a bright personality and ample creative possibilities. Chopin acquired ownership of the sculptor's 17 models.
In addition to Lanceret's works, Chopin also cast some sculptures by A.L. Auber, and for the Moscow Art and Industrial Exhibition of 1882, the company produced exhibits based on models by leading Russian sculptors, architects and draftsmen — M.O. Mikeshin, M.M. Antokolsky, N.A. Laveretsky, I.A. Monighetti, G. Bosse, A.A. Guna, A.N. Chichagov, F.F. Kamensky and others.
The 1882 Art Industry Exhibition summed up Chopin's entrepreneurial activities, bringing him deservedly fame and honor. That year, as a member of the Council of Trade and Manufactures, he received the Order of St. Vladimir of the 3rd degree and was “awarded the right to depict the coat of arms for introducing many new high-value models into Russia, together with the bronze medal, for the company's long-term existence and for its constant striving for improvement.”
In 1886, Chopin's business again found itself in a difficult situation. Once in St. Petersburg as a manager at the Guerin factory, Felix Yulyanovich, in turn, invites French master Karl Berto to breathe new strength into the dying industry. And in 1888, at the age of 80, Felix Chopin left Russia for good.
Chopin can rightly be called the “Russian Barbedien”. The masterful casting and purely French craftsmanship on display clearly explained why Chopin was considered by his contemporaries to be the best Russian bronzer of his time. In the 1870s and 1880s, “Chopin's bronze” served as a standard for all products made from this metal.
