Joseph Pierre Rambaud

JOSEPH PIERRE RAMBAUD (1852–1893).
Pair of urns.
"Vert Campan" marble; gilded bronze.
Signed.
Bears the foundry mark: Susse Frères.
Measurements: 37 x 18 x 13 cm.

Pair of lidded urns carved from green Campan marble with white, pink, and dark green veins, featuring gilded bronze mounts in the Louis XV style. Each features a narrow-necked body and a conical lid topped with an acanthus-leaf flame; two large handles with acanthus-leaf scrolls on the shoulder; and a flared foot resting on a molded plinth, with a gilt-bronze frieze and a rimmed base. Vert Campan is a marble from the Pyrenees, quarried in the Campan Valley, near Bagnères-de-Bigorre. It is recognized by its green background, with veins and flecks of white, pink, and reddish tones, which give it a marbled appearance. It was highly prized from the 17th century onward and was used at Versailles and the Grand Trianon; in the 19th century, it became widely used in fireplaces, clocks, and decorative objects.

Joseph Pierre Rambaud (1852–1893) was a sculptor and bronze designer active in the Parisian art scene during the second half of the 19th century. His work is part of the revival of 18th-century styles, which were very much in vogue during the Second Empire, when Parisian workshops reinterpreted Louis XV and Louis XVI models with a quality of craftsmanship often comparable to that of period pieces.

The Susse Frères firm, founded in the early 19th century, was one of the leading bronze foundries and manufacturers in Paris. Its workshop, located first in the Passage des Panoramas and later on Rue Vivienne, produced artistic castings, decorative objects, and clocks, and cast works by sculptors such as Barye, Clodion, and Carrier-Belleuse.