The exhibition, which retraced the history of the Ateliers Lorin, created in 1863 by Nicolas Lorin, master glassmaker, is coming to an end, after a month and a half of showcasing this rich historical heritage.
Élodie Vally, the current workshop manager, guided the last visits of this weekend. Sixty people, thirty per session, had registered with the tourist office for this event.
An inventory
works…
“We know the Ateliers Lorin better abroad than in France. There are 6,000 sites listed around the world and on five continents, ”underlines Élodie Vally, master glassmaker and craftsman, who designed this exhibition with the culture department of the City of Chartres.
The manager had worked in these workshops for eighteen years before taking over the company in 2016.
The exhibition traces the generations that have succeeded at the head of Ateliers Lorin, six generations to date. Élodie Vally emphasized the important role played by Marie-Françoise Dian (1882-1902), widow of Nicolas Lorin. “After his marriage to her, Nicolas Lorin, originally from the Meuse, settled in Chartres. When he died at the age of 49, it was she who had to run the business with her 16-year-old son Charles. “
Conscious of the cultural and patrimonial heritage, Élodie Vally wishes in the years to come to make an inventory of the works of the workshops around the world, to find and restore what is possible. “Some time ago, I worked on the restoration of the stained-glass windows of the cathedral of Saigon (Vietnam), thanks to the archives saved in Chartres. We were able to find the original plans and redo everything to the authentic, ”she told visitors.
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