Henri Duponchel
[4] Early biographers also say that Duponchel attended courses in architecture at the École des Beaux-Arts, but this must be viewed with caution as there is no record of it in the student registers.
Later, in February 1861, Duponchel collaborated with two other more well-established architects, Botrel[5] and Alphonse-Nicolas Crépinet [fr], and submitted an architectural project in a competition for the design of a new opera house.
G. Bourdin wrote unfavourably in Le Figaro that the designs were remarkable in revealing that, while Duponchel had studied the subject, it was not likely that he had completed a diploma, and that to call him an architect was an overstatement.
Duponchel may have also served with Camille Piron as architect for the hôtel particulier (town house) of Baron James de Rothschild, and it is generally agreed that at minimum he provided neoclassical decor for the ballroom and neo-Pompeian for the billiards room.
Pierre Cicéri and Lebe-Gigun, scene painters at the Opéra, did the decorative painting, which initiated relationships that were to prove significant for Duponchel's subsequent career.
Continuing his association with Piron, Duponchel also executed in 1821 a neo-Pompeian decor for the hôtel of the actor Talma on the rue de la Tour-des-Dames.
[14] [11] With Cicéri, he co-designed stage setting for Filippo Taglioni's ghostly "Ballet of the Dead Nuns" in Act 3 of Meyerbeer's opera Robert le diable (1831).
Aguado died in 1842 creating further financial problems, and Pillet formed an intimate relationship with the singer Rosine Stoltz, favoring her in the selection of roles at the Opéra and causing dissension within the company and with the public.
Totally ignorant of silversmithing, Duponchel brought to the enterprise taste and energy, as well as considerable capital, acquired from the sale of his opera privilège to Pillet for 500,000 francs.
[24] By the end of 1846, however, disagreements had sprung up between the two associates, resulting in a lawsuit won by Duponchel, which brought about the dissolution of the partnership, and awarded him sole possession of the property and merchandise.
[25][26] In the meantime, Duponchel had regained his directorship at the Opéra, where he remained until 13 November 1849, but also continued to successfully operate the gold and silver business with other associates as shown by their participation in the exposition of 1849.
[27] The firm's masterpiece is the ivory and silver chryselephantine sculpture Minerve, commissioned by the Duke of Luynes for the salle des fêtes in his Château of Dampierre.
He collaborated occasionally with several of his designer colleagues from the Opéra, including Charles-Antoine Cambon, Pierre Cicéri, Jules Diéterle, and Édouard Desplechin, as well as Jean-Baptiste-Jules Klagmann [fr].
[29] In 1861 Duponchel joined the Théâtre du Vaudeville as a scenic designer, with J. J. Dormeuil as artistic director and the entrepreneur Benou in charge of the financial side.
