Ferdinand Levillain

FERDINAND LEVILLAIN (1837-1905)
"Ganymede and Zeus", 1885.
Patinated and gilded bronze.
Signed and dated "Bx Arts 1885".
Measurements: 19,5 x 48 x 34,5 cm.
Centerpiece made of gilded and patinated bronze that has ornamentation in relief, highlighting the central area in which a young man is seen next to an agula representing Zeus and Ganymede. Ferdinand Levillain (1837-1905) studied with the sculptor Jouffroy (1806-1882), before making his debut in 1861 at the Salon des Artistes Français, where he continued to exhibit until 1903. At the Paris Exposition Universelle of 1867, he was praised for a neo-Grec-style bronze goblet he made for the firm of Blot and Drouard. However, he did not really become famous until 1871, thanks to his association with the great bronze caster Ferdinand Barbedienne, who began exhibiting neo-Grec style lamps, goblets, vases and candlesticks on his stands. Levillain triumphed overwhelmingly at the Paris Universal Exposition of 1878, where he was unanimously awarded the gold medal for his classical-style creations. The celebrated bronze caster Servant (1828-1890) declared in the report of the Jury of Artistic Bronzes that Levillain's works " chiseled like the finest jewels " and " so diverse and pure in form (...) are of the highest degree of perfection ". After receiving a first class medal at the 1884 Salon for a cup entitled "The Elements, the Months and the Seasons", Ferdinand Levillain won a silver medal at the 1889 Exposition Universelle de Paris.