Attributed to Ferdinand Barbedienne. Paris, mid-nineteenth century.

Attributed to FERDINAND BARBEDIENNE. Paris, mid-nineteenth century.
"Dionysian procession".
Pair of vases in gilded bronze.
Red marble base.
Measurements: 46 cm high.

This superb pair of vases of neoclassical style, executed in gilded bronze and seated on elegant red marble bases, stands as a paradigmatic testimony of the exquisite artistic goldsmithery of the France of the Second Empire. Attributed to the famous Ferdinand Barbedienne, renowned Parisian bronze artist, the slender bodies are adorned with continuous bas-reliefs of remarkable virtuosity, with a procession of maenads or Bacchic priestesses. Among them, satyrs chase them, linking the scene with the tradition of the Greco-Roman bacchanals, symbol of fertility, music and mystical drunkenness.m The quality of the chiseling is noteworthy: folds, hair and muscles follow one another with a sharpness that denotes the mastery of a leading workshop in the artistic foundry of its time. The golden patina intensifies the vivacity of the figures, catching the light and animating the mythical parade that runs along the curved surface of each piece. These pieces crystallize the fascination of an entire era with the Renaissance of Antiquity.

Ferdinand Barbedienne was one of the most renowned bronze artists of the 19th century. From the 1860s to the 1890s, Barbedienne, always interested in researching new processes, experimented with new techniques in champlevé enamel and cloisonné enamel, very much in vogue at the time. When Collas died in 1859, the company was thriving in the field of monumental bronzes. Now alone at the helm of the company, Barbedienne, unanimously recognized, played a leading role in the profession. Business picked up after the war of 1870 and much of the company's output was exported. When Barbedienne died in 1892, the company was in full swing. The high quality of his work enabled Barbedienne to participate in most of the Universal Exhibitions, where he was awarded numerous medals. In particular, he received the Grande Médaille d'Honneur in Paris in 1855.