Germain Bapst (20 December 18539 December 1921) was a French

jeweler A bench jeweler is an artisan who uses a combination of skills to make and repair jewelry. Some of the more common skills that a bench jeweler might employ include antique restoration, silversmithing, goldsmithing, stone setting, engraving, ...

, art collector, and art historian based in France who partnered with

Lucien Falize Lucien Falize (Paris 4 August 1839 – Paris 4 September 1897) was a French jeweller and writer in France who was responsible for pioneering and driving the Art Nouveau movement with his firm, Falize.Katherine Purcell. 'Falize: A Dynasty of J ...

to form Bapst & Falize.

Early life and education

Germain Bapst was born on 20 December 1853 in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. Germain was a descendant of the prestigious Maison Bapst, a family revered for their contributions as jewelers to the French court in Paris. Originally from the

Swabia Swabia ; , colloquially ''Schwabenland'' or ''Ländle''; archaic English also Suabia or Svebia is a cultural, historic and linguistic region in southwestern Germany. The name is ultimately derived from the medieval Duchy of Swabia, one of ...

region of Southern Germany, the Bapst family migrated to France, where they became well known. Paul-Alfred Bapst, the father of Germain, served as the last crown jeweler during the

Second French Empire The Second French Empire, officially the French Empire, was the government of France from 1852 to 1870. It was established on 2 December 1852 by Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte, president of France under the French Second Republic, who proclaimed hi ...

. Germain's brother, , pursued a career that led him to become a French military general. In 1878, both men were elected as members of the Board of Directors of the

Société de l'histoire de France The Société de l'histoire de France (SHF) ( English: ''Society of the History of France'') was established on 21 December 1833 at the instigation of the French minister of Public Instruction, François Guizot, in order to contribute to the renew ...

. He joined the Société de l'histoire de Paris et de l'Île-de-France in 1879 and was later elected to its board of directors, where he served up to 1895.

Career

Following his father's death, in 1880, Bapst partnered with the Parisian jeweler

, a son of a

goldsmith A goldsmith is a Metalworking, metalworker who specializes in working with gold and other precious metals. Modern goldsmiths mainly specialize in jewelry-making but historically, they have also made cutlery, silverware, platter (dishware), plat ...

, to form Bapst & Falize. The firm was known for creating jewelry, timepieces, enamelwork, and various other jeweled items, operating from their shops and workshops on rue d'Antin in Paris.The Art Collector: A Journal Devoted to the Arts and the Crafts (p. 6). (1891). United States: A. Trumble. Germain Bapst became an avid writer, art collector, art critic, and an expert in gemstone history. By the early 1880s, Bapst was serving on the administrative council of the Union Centrale des Arts Décoratifs, assisting with its museum and exhibition of decorative arts commission. While serving on the organizing committee of the 1880 Exhibition on Metal Industries, he saw interesting pewter objects but found little information on

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

pewter art beyond . He pursued in-depth research and began to patiently reconstruct the history of French

pewter Pewter () is a malleable metal alloy consisting of tin (85–99%), antimony (approximately 5–10%), copper (2%), bismuth, and sometimes silver. In the past, it was an alloy of tin and lead, but most modern pewter, in order to prevent lead poi ...

. Representing UCAD in 1882, he traveled through Bavaria, Saxony, Hungary, Austria, and Bohemia to engage with museum and art industry leaders. His observations provided practical insights into museum classification, display strategies, and the construction of new art spaces. He praised Hungary for its authenticity and criticized Vienna's disorganized museums. Bapst served as a delegated council member for the foreign section of the 7th Exposition de L'Union Centrale des Arts Décoratifs, held at the Palais de Champs-Élysées in August 1882. In the following year, he published an

exhibition catalogue There are two types of exhibition catalogue (or exhibition catalog): a printed list of exhibits at an art exhibition; and a directory of exhibitors at a trade fair or business-to-business event. Art or museum exhibition catalogues Catalogues for ...

titled "The Arts of Wood, Fabrics, and Paper" (), highlighting key exhibits from the 1882 Exhibition.Prideaux, S. T. (1892). A Bibliography of Bookbinding. United Kingdom: James Bain, I, Haymarket. In 1883, Bapst published an inventory of

Maria Josepha of Saxony, Dauphine of France Maria Josepha of Saxony (Maria Josepha Karolina Eleonore Franziska Xaveria; 4 November 1731 - 13 March 1767) was Dauphine of France through her marriage to Louis, Dauphin of France (1729-1765), Louis, the son and heir of Louis XV. Marie Josèphe ...

's jewellery titled "Inventaire de Marie-Josèphe de Saxe, dauphine de France". Bapst's work, "Metals in Antiquity and the Middle Ages: Tin", was released in 1884. On 4 February 1885, Bapst was elected as a resident member of the

Société des Antiquaires de France The Société des Antiquaires de France (Society of Antiquaries of France) is a Parisian historical and archaeological society, founded in 1804 under the name of the Académie celtique (Celtic Academy). It is now based at the Louvre, in the pavil ...

. During that year, he was accepted into the Society of French Bibliophiles as well as the Society for the History of French Art. He contributed to French art historian

Eugène Müntz Eugène Müntz (11 June 1845 – 30 October 1902) was a French art historian who specialized in the Italian Renaissance art. LIfe and career Eugène Müntz was born on 11 June 1845 in Soultz-sous-Forêts, Bas-Rhin. His brother was Achille Münt ...

's "Les Artistes Célèbres" in 1886. In 1887, he notably published "Studies on French Goldsmithing in the 18th Century: The Germain, Goldsmiths-Sculptors of the King". He dedicated the work to French bibliographer

Jérôme Pichon Baron Jérome-Frédéric Pichon (3 December 1812 – 26 August 1896) was a 19th-century French bibliographer and bibliophile. He was one of the most important French art collectors of his time. Biography Jérôme Pichon was the second son of ...

. Bapst chronicled the legacy of the

Germain Germain may refer to: *Germain (name), including a list of people with the name *Germain Arena, the former name of an arena in Estero, Florida *Germain Racing, a NASCAR racing team *Germain Amphitheater, a concert venue in Columbus, Ohio *Paris Sa ...

family, detailing their rise through generations as they perfected the art of goldsmithing. The narrative follows the creation of a piece, from its design to its display in noble courts, and lastly, where the pieces were found at the time of its publication. The work was decorated with more than 100 engravings and was recognized by the French Academy ("

Académie Française An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...

"). In 1887, Bapst was awarded the Prix Marcelin Guérin, the Prix Thérouanne in 1889, the

Prix Thiers The Prix Thiers () is an annual literary prize for history writing awarded by the Académie française since 1868. History The Académie française, or French Academy, established the Prix Thiers in 1862. Founded by former French president and his ...

in 1895, and the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

on 29 October 1889. His firm, Bapst & Falize, exhibited at the 1889 Paris Exposition, showcasing various pieces in the French jewelry section. In 1889, he released the "History of the Crown Jewels of France" (). With inspiration from his family's historical documents and state archives, Bapst planned to write an extensive account of the French crown jewels, covering their assembly by

Francis I of France Francis I (; ; 12 September 1494 – 31 March 1547) was King of France from 1515 until his death in 1547. He was the son of Charles, Count of Angoulême, and Louise of Savoy. He succeeded his first cousin once removed and father-in-law Louis&nbs ...

in 1530 right through to their partial sale by the state in the 19th century. The book was enriched with 50 detailed engravings. Bapst also published a work in 1892 titled "French Goldsmithing at the Court of Portugal in the 18th century". Germain's business partnership with Lucien Falize came to an end in 1892. Following this, he became director of the French periodical ' from 1892 to 1893. By that time, he was serving as a member of the Board of Directors of the Union Centrale des Arts Décoratifs. He was also a part of the organizing committee for the Fine Arts section of the 1892 Exhibition of Women's Arts (). Bapst was involved in the 1895 Historical and Military Exhibition of the Revolution and the Empire, writing the

preface __NOTOC__ A preface () or proem () is an introduction to a book or other literature, literary work written by the work's author. An introductory essay written by a different person is a ''foreword'' and precedes an author's preface. The preface o ...

for the

. He eventually curated an attraction for the

Paris Exhibition of 1900 The Exposition Universelle of 1900 (), better known in English as the 1900 Paris Exposition, was a world's fair held in Paris, France, from 14 April to 12 November 1900, to celebrate the achievements of the past century and to accelerate develop ...

, dedicated to the military history of land and naval forces. This was segmented into an art section with paintings and busts, and a historical section featuring flags, weapons, uniforms, and other military equipment. For the Irish International Exhibition of 1907, he lent two volumes of the "Works of M. Viscount De Chateaubriand" (Melanges de M. de Chateaubriand). They had been in

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

's possession while in exile at

St. Helena Saint Helena (, ) is one of the three constituent parts of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, a remote British overseas territory. Saint Helena is a volcanic and tropical island, located in the South Atlantic Ocean, some 1,874 km ...

. Along with the volumes, various Napoleonic relics, including portraits, engravings, and prints, were exhibited.

Personal life

On 5 July 1888, he married Brazilian-born Enriqueta "Queta" de Laski. They had a child named André Manuela Alexandre Joaquina Bapst. After their divorce, she later married Jacques de Gunzburg then Prince Basil Narischkine.

Death

Germain Bapst died on 9 December 1921 in

.BAPST, Germain - INHA - Institut national d'histoire de l'art. (2024, September 24). Retrieved from https://www.inha.fr/dictionnaire-critique-des-historiens-de-lart-actifs-en-france-de-la-revolution-a-la-premiere-guerre-mondiale/bapst-germain-inha/ He was buried in a family

burial plot A grave is a location where a dead body (typically that of a human, although sometimes that of an animal) is buried or interred after a funeral. Graves are usually located in special areas set aside for the purpose of burial, such as grave ...

Père Lachaise Cemetery Père Lachaise Cemetery (, , formerly , ) is the largest cemetery in Paris, France, at . With more than 3.5 million visitors annually, it is the most visited necropolis in the world. Buried at Père Lachaise are many famous figures in the ...

Works

*The Retrospective Museum of Metal at the Central Union of Fine Arts (Le Musée rétrospectif du métal à l de l Union centrale des beaux arts) (1881) *Two Fans from the Louvre Museum (Deux éven tails au Musée du Louvre) (1882) *Inventory of Marie-Josephe de Saxe (1883) *The Arts of Wood , Fabrics and Paper (Les Arts du Bois, des tissus et du papier) (1883) *Metals in Antiquity and the Middle Ages: Tin (Les métaux dans l'antiquité et au Moyen Age: l'étain) (1884) *Will of King John the Good and Inventory of His Jewels in London (1884) *Studies on Phoenician Bowls (Étude sur les coupes phéniciennes) (1885) *Studies on French Goldwork in the 18th Century: The Germain, Goldsmiths-Sculptors of the King (1887) *The Excavations of Siverskaia (Caucasus) (1887)Bapst, G. (1889). Histoire des joyaux de la couronne de France, Volume 1. Hachette. https://books.google.ca/books?id=lbVCAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false *History of the Crown Jewels of France (Histoire des joyaux de la couronne de France) (1889) *Essay on the History of Panoramas and Dioramas (Essai sur l'histoire des panoramas et des dioramas) (1891) *The Siege of Huningue 1815 (Le siège d Huningue) (1892) *Histoire d'un cabinet minéralogique (1892) *Study on Medieval Mystery Plays (Etude sur les mystères au Moyen âge) (1892) *French Goldsmithing at the Court of Portugal in the 18th century (L'orfèvrerie française à la cour de Portugal au XVIIIe siècle) (1892) *The Early Years of Marshal Mac-Mahon (Les Premières années du maréchal de Mac-Mahon) (1894) *Marshal Canrobert (Le maréchal Canrobert: 1809-1851) (1899)Bapst, G. (1899). Le maréchal Canrobert: 1809-1851. France: E. Plon, Nourrit et cie..

Gallery

Père-Lachaise - Division 58 - Bapst 01.jpg, Grave of Bapst,

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bapst, Germain 1853 births 1921 deaths People from Paris 19th-century French people French art historians French art collectors Art collectors from Paris 19th-century French jewellers 20th-century French jewellers