FERDINAND BARBEDIENNE (1810-1892) - Receive artist alerts » - More items from this artist »

Bronze

Stamped F. BARBEDIENE FONDEUR and to the front of the bases FALGUIÈRE and P. DUBOIS respectively. The rear edge of each base inset with a medallion for Achille Collas's process of Réduction Mathématique

127.00cm high    (  50.00 inches high)

Barbedienne's awards:
Paris, 1878; 'Grand Prix', 'Grande Medaille d'Or', 'Diplome d' honneur', and 28 'Medailles de Co-operateurs'
Vienna 1873; Two 'Diplomes d' Honneur', 'Medailles de Progres', and 25 'Medailles de Co-operateurs'.
Paris 1867: 'Jure Rapporteur (Hors Concours)'.
London 1862; Three Medals for Excellence
Paris 1855; 'Grande Medaille d' Honneur'.
London 1851; Two Council Medals

Pierre Kjellberg,'Les Bronzes du XIX Siecle, dictionnaire des sculpteurs', pps.653-658.
Denise Ledoux-Lebard,'Les Ebenistes du XIX Siecle', p.38.
Jeremy Cooper, '19th Century Romantic Bronzes', pps. 25,41,149

An Important Pair of Napoleon III Figural Torchères modelled by P. Dubois and Falguière, cast by F. Barbedienne. This fine pair of patinated bronze figural torcheres depict a pair of classically posed maidens holding aloft six-branch candelabra.

Babrbedienne illustrates a drawing of this pair of torcheres on page 63 of his 1886 catalogue ‘Bronzes D’ Art’ , He lists them under the heading ‘Deux Femmes Debut’ and describes them as Porte-Lumires, style Renaissance’ and indicates they were modelled by Paul Dubois and Falguière.

Ferdinand Barbedienne (1810-1892) was a highly important and prolific bronze founder of one of the most important French art foundries. He pioneered the use of mounts and, more commonly, bronze sculpture including figures and animals. Barbedienne produced catalogues of bronze reproductions of Greek and Roman classical sculpture and experimented with 'champleve' and 'cloisonne' enamels during the third quarter of the century. Barbedienne exhibited several pieces of furniture at the 1855 Paris Exhibition including an ormolu mounted oak dressing table and an ormolu mounted ebony veneered bookcase. Both pieces were executed in his favoured Renaissance revival style.

The Barbedienne foundry employed up to three hundred skilled labourers, handling the casting of numerous national monuments and architectural schemes. Ferdinand Barbedienne himself also took an active part in the promotion of contemporary sculpture and became one of the founders for Davis d'Angers' medallions as well as much of Rude's sculpture.

His signature varied from hand written capitals to stamp in capitals, usually 'F. Barbedienne, Fondeur' or 'BARBEDIENNE PARIS'.

In 1850 Barbedienne was commissioned to furnish the Paris town hall for which he was awarded with the 'medaille d' honneur' at the Paris World Exhibition in 1855.