COrrKK AND COITHU ALLOYS. 135 



ia Eussiii upon a linn foundation. He built a lar^e bronze fabric in St. Peters- 

 burg, supplied it with good workmen and rich technical means, owing to which the 

 industry was placed from the very beginning on a strong footing. The Duke himself 

 Avas the principal workman at his fabric, consecrating his whole free time to the in- 

 dustry. Besides artistic bronze this lactory produced galvano plastic articles and had 

 a special section for the production of ditterent objects in plated silver. Many pieces 

 of this bronze, executed by this factory, which after the death of the Duke Leuch- 

 tenberg passed into the hands of Henke, Pleske and Moran, decorate the Cathedrals 

 of St. Isaac in St. Petersburg and of The Saviour in Moscow, and many palaces and 

 houses of rich people. This factory went out of existence many years ago although 

 one of the Duke Leuclitenberg's successors, Moran, has until now a small bronze 

 foundry. 



The Guerin bronze factory exerted a great influence on the development of the 

 industry in Eussia, especially when in 1840 it passed into the hands of Chopin; it 

 was founded in the beginning of the present century. Owing to the talent of a 

 Russian sculptor Lansere, the foundry of Chopin executed a whole series, about 130 

 numbers, of excellent groups which are celebrated over all Europe and America. 

 After the death of Chopin, which happened in Paris in 1892, his heirs sold all of the 

 Lansere models to Staug^, a manufacturer in St. Petersburg. This last fabric is also 

 well known for its bronze productions of high quality, which are principally articles 

 of fui-niture, such as lamps, lustres and others. A similar fabric was also founded in 

 1868 in Moscow, by Postnikov, but principally for the fabrication of church articles. 

 It had a great influence on the development of artistic finish of the works of the 

 bronze industry, by introducing beautiful designs in enamel. 



The manufacture of lamps and their appendages is especially developed in 

 Warsaw where the trade, according to official data, is valued at 500,000 roubles. 



The factory of the Duke of Leuchtenberg and of his successors, as also that of 

 Chopin, were the real originators of the artistic bronze industry in Russia, and pro- 

 duced whole generations of bronze workmen, who have transferred their knowledge, 

 skill and experience to many small works, and some of whom have opened their own 

 small workshops. 



During late years a considerable number of such factories for producing small 

 articles from leaf bronze, or rather latten, have been started. These articles, of very 

 satisfactory quality and design, are werj cheap and are, therefore, bought in large 

 quantities, even by the poorer classes. The schools of practical drawing have doubt- 

 less had a great influence on the development of the industry; the import of such 

 goods has in consequence rapidly decreased of late years. It is to be hoped that 

 soon the production of small stamped latten decorations, used for albums and the 

 like, will be introduced into Eussia. 



St. Petersburg and Moscow are the principal points for the bronze industry, 

 which is very little practised by the peasants. It is very probable, however, that 

 Avith the increased demands for cheap bronze articles the trade will begin to 

 develop in the villages, especially in those where small pieces in brass are already 

 produced, and which are made in large quantities in the village Lyskovo, govern- 

 ment of Nizhni-Novgorod. Shirt studs, buttons, thimbles and other like articles, are 

 yearly produced here to the value of 100,000 roubles, owingto the proximity of the 



