Francois-Désiré Froment Meurice (1802- 1855), Parisian goldsmith and jeweller, took over the family business started by his father Francois Froment in 1792 and added to his surnarne that of Pierre Meurice, another goldsrnith who was his mother's second husband. Well trained in goldsmith techniques and in the arts, he was particularly interested in sculpture and close to the artistic circles of his time, being an excellent chaser. He was famous in the 1830s and 1840s for his romantically inspired jewels in Gothic and Renaissance revival style, which combined backgrounds of Gothic architecture with three-
dimensional figures of knights, angels and saints cast in the round and decorated with polychrome enamels. Fnoment Meurice triumphed in the London exhibition of 1851 with his production in neo-Gothic and neo-Renaissance taste. Froment-Meurice died at the peak of his fame before the opening of the Exposition Universelle. In 1859, his son Emile (1837-1913) took over the business. Like his father, Emile mainly worked in the Renaissance revival style and employed a number of famous sculptors, architects, modellers and silversmiths for the creation of his jewels. At the Paris World Exhibition of 1867 Froment Meurice was decorated with a gold medal for his impressive exhibit of jewels in Archaeological and Renaissance revival style which brought the firm to international fame. Although his name is also associated with jewels of more traditional 19th century style, the 16th century remained the main source of inspiration for Froment Meur-ice until his retirement in 1907.