On the occasion of the first show of unusual collections last weekend, Patrice Hamon came from Vienna to exhibit his collection, the only one of its kind to be presented to the public to date. And when we think of papier-mâché, we don’t imagine seeing such objects.
For around fifteen years, he and his wife have been collecting objects made of papier-mâché and boiled cardboard – chartarimunatophile. He finds them randomly at house clearances or at antique shops.
“There is no more eco-friendly object”
A history buff, he is interested in the origin and technique of papier-mâché, which the Chinese used in the 8th century. e century to make their helmets. “The process was Frenchified and industrialized by the Adts, a family of Alsatian millers, under Napoleon III. At the time we didn’t work with wood,” he explains.
From straw, cotton and old paper soaked in water and then kneaded with rabbit skin glue, the resulting paste is molded, dried, passed in a black bath before being painted by hand. “There is nothing more eco-friendly,” he smiles.
The Adts set up a factory in Forbach (Alsace) in 1853, but the war of 1870 (Alsace returned to Germany) made them move to Pont-à-Mousson, in Lorraine.
Among the objects on display are all those of everyday life: dishes, baskets, mirrors, pencil boxes, glasses cases, napkin rings, children’s toys, etc. Many pieces of furniture were made from papier-mâché, including “bull’s-eye” clocks. Between 1840 and 1870, all families were equipped with them.
At the beginning, the decoration was painted by hand then, industrialization required, affixed by transfer. The most refined objects were adorned with a “burgauté” decoration, marquetry with mother-of-pearl inlays, made from a shell which, depending on the lighting, takes on three iridescent colors. The process was gradually abandoned in 1900 with the arrival of bakelite, then in 1905 with that of hard plastic.
