Description

Very rare Jean Gutenberg silver medal by Gayrard, awarded to Robert Niestlé of the Delachaux and Niestlé publishing house in 1892, during the Typographic competition of E. Sedard. In its orignal presentation box, excellent condition. Hallmarked "Argent" on the edge 35.62 grams The Delachaux and Niestlé publishing house was founded in 1882 in Neuchâtel, Switzerland, by master printer Adolphe Niestlé and brothers Eugène and Paul Delachaux. However, a Delachaux company had existed since 1861 through bookseller Samuel Delachaux, the first publisher in the canton of Neuchâtel, who partnered with his brother in 1871 before retiring in 1876. In 1912, Paul Delachaux passed away, and his son Arthur (1874-1963) took over until 1944. Under his leadership, Delachaux and Niestlé worked with Adolphe Niestlé, followed by his son Robert Niestlé. In 1919, the company opened an office in Paris at 26 rue Saint-Dominique, which moved to 32 rue de Grenelle in 1937. In 1944, the company transitioned to a new generation: printing and binding were entrusted to Adolphe Niestlé, the bookstore to Paul Delachaux, and stationery and publishing to Agnès Delachaux, Arthur's daughter, who had already been involved in publication choices for several years. By 1945, the number of volumes sold reached 300,000. The company — including printing and publishing — employed around one hundred staff members. Faced with structural issues (such as selling the printing business and stores), the publishing house was sold in 1974 to SPES, a publishing house in Lausanne, led by David Perret. In 1980, the theological and biblical titles were acquired by Geneva-based publisher Labor et Fides. In 1992, Camif became the majority shareholder. In 2003, La Martinière Groupe took majority control, focusing on essays addressing major contemporary environmental issues as well as more general public lines. The publishing house was acquired by Média-Participations in December 2017. In 2022, Delachaux and Niestlé celebrated its 140th anniversary by partnering with French artist Michaël Cailloux. Inv 60005P2486