Heritage

1812

Our story begins with Jean-Baptiste Alivon, a graduate of the Arts et Métiers school in Aix en Provence with a passion for metallurgy, foundry and engraving. He brought together several bronze type foundry and gilding iron workshops. As such, workshops like Adam, Petitbon, Revert & Bereux merged to form Maison Alivon. 

The interwar period was a golden era for hot stamping and gilding allowing Maison Alivon to expand rapidly.

At that time, everyday objects were gilded with fine gold: books, of course, but also hat bottoms, leather goods, travel trunks – there were so many ways to express oneself through gilding!

1943

Antoine Alivon

Following his father’s death in 1943, Antoine Alivon took over the management of the company, assisted by his brother Amédée, who  prematurely died in 1947.

Antoine Alivon carried on the family business and bought the workshop of the engraver Monsieur Morand, successor to Maison Longien and Maison Bérael.

He was joined by his son, Pascal Alivon, in the 1970s.

1970

Pascal Alivon

While perpetuating the manufactory’s heritage, Pascal Alivon is extending his expertise to include real gold leaf and foil, to meet his customers’ expectations even more effectively and support them right through to stamping.

Pascal Alivon has always been committed to preserving the skills and history of the manufacture, and has written a reference book on the history of gilding and bookbinding decoration, available to order from our e-shop.

2013

Marion Saussier

The daughter of a bookbinder and gilder and the niece of a framer, Marion has always been surrounded by crafts and creativity. Throughout her life, she has trained in techniques such as bookbinding, gilding, framing, ceramics, sculpture and, of course, bronze work.

It was when her mother died that Marion decided to take over the reins of the family business, then run by her father-in-law, Pascal Alivon. Fascinated by this priceless heritage, she set herself the mission of passing on the heritage of this exceptional know-how, while bringing it up to date with the times, by creating Maison Alivon Éditions, works of art, jewellery and precious tableware made from the workshop memories of the factory.

Know-how

Punch, mould, crucible, spoon, bronze, fusion, adjustment: our bronze typefaces are the result of a succession of meticulous operations that have become extremely rare. In fact, Maison Alivon is the last bronze type manufacturer in the world. 

All these gestures and efforts, are rewarded by the assurance of perfection implied by foundry worK. Born from the same punch, from the same mould with its deep, constant hollow, all our typefaces are perfect and identical. Each gilder can safely return to his or her mark because the typefaces are absolutely uniform.

As for the engraving of hand tools, pallets and rolls, although technical progress has been implemented at the manufacture, the concern for perfection and the depth of the recess have remained unchanged since 1812.

For generations, craftsmen have worked in our workshops to produce all our marking tools with enthusiasm and dedication. They contribute to our pride in maintaining our exceptional know-how.