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Pair of gilt bronze vases F. Barbedienne musician shepherdess lizard marble XIXth

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F30 929

Saling price :
1 500,00 €

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Pair of baluster shaped vases in finely chiseled gilt bronze, decorated with two characters in bucolic and flowery landscapes accompanied by birds: a musician playing the flute on one side, a shepherdess undressed on the other, on the base a small lizard and a rat, signed F. Barbedienne, handles in the form of branches, on a red marble base, Napoleon III period, XIXth century.

These vases are in good condition and are of remarkable quality. Superb carving quality. Signed on the side of the base.

A note: some light soiling, scratches and wear of time, see photos.

* Ferdinand Barbedienne (1810-1892)

was a French industrialist. It is mainly known for its bronze foundry of art reproduction. Son of a modest Norman cultivator, he made his first fortune in wallpaper before associating in 1838 with the mechanic Achille Collas (1795-1859), who had just invented a bronze reproduction process and at a smaller scale, works of art. In 1839, Barbedienne founded the house where he had most of the statues in European museums reproduced in bronze, small enough to adorn modern interiors. His idea was to democratize art, by making faithful reproductions of masterpieces accessible. The chosen themes are often allegorical, and draw heavily from the ancient repertoire. Even today, it is quite common to find in "bourgeois" homes bronzes signed Barbedienne. He applied his methods to the work of sculptors of his time (Barye, Fremiet, Mène, etc.) and created very many bronze models of furniture, enamels, partitions, high and low-reliefs in wood etc. Through the publishing contracts he offered them, he contributed to their success by distributing their works. Being childless, it was his nephew and successor, Gustave Leblanc-Barbedienne, who developed the foundry, specializing in monumental bronzes. In France, many war memorials are signed Leblanc-Barbedienne. The quality of the cast iron, the carving and the patina, specific to the Barbedian way, gradually made the signature of the founder more and more important. Thanks in particular to Ferdinand Barbedienne, the relationship between sculptor and founder has become analogous to the relationship between composer and performer for music. Ferdinand Barbedienne rests in the Père-Lachaise cemetery in Paris.

Data sheet

  • Diamètre socle 9,2 cm
  • Height 27 cm
  • Width entre anses 10,5 cm