Alfred André was born on 25 October 1839 in Paris. Where he learned the goldsmith's craft, however, is still unknown. In 1859 he established his own shop, which was by 1874 probably situated at 10 rue Notre Dame de Lorette in the ninth arrondissement. He studied and reactivated old enameling methods, and specialized in the restoration of applied art objects of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.
André was in close contact with the Rothschilds and with Frédéric Spitzer (1815-1890), and did several works for their collection, apparently not only restorations. His wealth grew, and in 1880 he was able to buy a large four-story house at 15 rue Dufrenoy in the fashionable sixteenth arrondissement (demolished in 1971). He set up workshops for various decorative arts techniques on every floor in the left wing of the house, working not only with other goldsmiths, but also with hardstone carvers and ceramists.
After the marriage of his son Léon Alexandre (1873-1954), André transferred half of the business to him in 1905. In 1907 it was completely in the name of Léon. From then until his death André lived in an apartment on the Boulevard Flandrin, not far from his former house. He died there on 10 May 1919, having received the distinctions of Officier de l'Instruction Publique and Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur, among many others. The auction of his art collections after his death brought about five hundred thousand francs in 1920. [This is an edited version of the artist's biography published in the NGA Systematic Catalogue]
Artist Bibliography
1877
Bonnaffé, Edmond. "Le coffret de l'Escurial." L'art 43 (1877): 165-174.
1890
Spitzer, Frédéric. La Collection Spitzer. Intro. by Eugène Müntz. 6 vols. Paris, 1890-1892.
1893
Catalogue des objets d'art de haute curiosité...composant l'importante et précieuse collection Spitzer. Paris, 1893.
1904
Clouzot, Henri. "Le maître potier de Saint-Porchaire." La Revue de l'Art 16 (1904): 357-371.
1968
Lesley, Parker. Renaissance Jewels and Jeweled Objects from the Melvin Gutman Collection. Baltimore, 1968.
1979
Hackenbroch, Yvonne. Renaissance Jewellery. London and Munich, 1979.
1979
Kris, Ernst. Meister und Meisterwerke der Steinschneide-kunst in der italienischen Renaissance. 2 vols. 1929. Reprint. Vienna, 1979.
1979
Truman, Charles. "Reinhold Vasters--'the Last of the Goldsmiths'?" The Connoisseur 200 (1979): 154-161.
1980
Princely Magnificence: Court Jewels of the Renaissance, 1500-1630. Exh. cat. Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 1980.
1981
Newman, Harold. An Illustrated Dictionary of Jewellry. London, 1981.
1984
The Jack and Belle Linsky Collection in The Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York, 1984.
1986
Hackenbroch, Yvonne. "Reinhold Vasters, Goldsmith." Journal of the Metropolitan Museum of Art 19-20 (1986): 163-268.
1993
Distelberger, Rudolf, Alison Luchs, Philippe Verdier, and Timonthy H. Wilson. Western Decorative Arts, Part I: Medieval, Renaissance, and Historicizing Styles including Metalwork, Enamels, and Ceramics. The Collections of the National Gallery of Art Systematic Catalogue. Washington, D.C., 1993: 282-287.