Ferdinand Barbedienne

FERDINAND BARBEDIENNE (France, 1810-1892)
Pair of candlesticks.
Gilt bronze and cloisonné enamel.
Signed.
Measurements: 22 x 11 x 11 cm (x2).
Pair of chinoiserie-inspired champlevé enamel candlesticks. They are a clear example of the medieval technique of champlevé and reflect the resurgence of enamel, considered at the time a real technical innovation by this renowned Parisian manufacturer, famous for its thoroughness.
Ferdinand Barbedienne was a French cabinetmaker and bronze artist, an exponent of the Second Empire style. He worked for several sculptors, such as Antoine-Louis Barye. In 1839 he partnered with Achille Collas, with whom he set up a bronze factory in Paris, which had up to three hundred workers. In addition to bronze objects, they produced furniture and silver pieces, in an eclectic style ranging from neo-Renaissance to neo-Louis XVI. In 1850 he was commissioned to furnish the Hôtel de Ville in Paris. In 1851 he participated in the Great Exhibition in London with an ebony and bronze bookcase based on models by Ghiberti and Michelangelo. He was also present at the Universal Exhibition of 1862 with a bronze vase with champagne enamels, now in the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. In the 1880s he turned his production towards oriental influences, mainly Chinese and Japanese. In 1863 he received the Legion of Honor with the rank of knight, which was elevated to the rank of officer in 1867 and commander in 1874.