Saint-Gobain Mirror Works

Timeline

1. 1665–1666Faubourg Saint-Antoine, Paris · ParisTo intercept the tens of thousands of livres spent annually on importing mirrors, Colbert granted the Orléans tax farmer Nicolas Du Noy exclusive rights to manufacture mirrors. The works housed masters lured from Murano, and in 1666 produced flawless mirrors rivaling Venice's. The Venetians refused to divulge core formulas, firewood and charcoal were expensive in Paris, and craftsmen were distracted, so the company struggled to turn a profit in its early years.
2. 1667–1684Tourlaville (La Glacerie) · NormandyIn 1667 the Venetian craftsmen were repatriated, and melting moved to an existing forest glassworks near Tourlaville in Normandy, headed by Richard Lucas de Nehou, while the Paris works turned to polishing and silvering. In 1672 the kingdom banned the import of Venetian mirrors. By around 1684 the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles could partly use domestically produced large mirrors, and France began shifting from buyer to export competitor.
3. 1688–1695Château de Saint-Gobain works · PicardyIn 1688 the Tévaire company produced larger mirror blanks by casting on metal tables, challenging the blown-glass tradition. In 1692 Louis Lucas de Nehou opened a new melting site at the old Château de Saint-Gobain in Picardy, while Tourlaville declined due to exhausted firewood. In 1695 the crown facilitated a merger of the two companies, shifting production focus to Saint-Gobain, and France's replacement of Venice's monopoly with domestically produced large mirrors was thereby cemented.