Young Man Praying, Bronze Barbedienne 1850

Young Praying Man, bronze with dark brown patina signed Barbedienne founder Paris.
Ferdinand Barbedienne (1810-1892) is a French industrialist famous for his art foundry specializing in bronzes by artists of his time and antiquity. He won numerous medals at the Universal Exhibitions and his workshops had several hundred people. The quality of the casting and the patina make his bronzes sought after by collectors.
The Young Praying Man is a bronze from the end of the 4th century BC discovered in Rhodes and kept in Berlin at the Altes Museum. Universally admired since its discovery, it was brought back to Berlin by Frederick the Great then removed by Napoleon and later by Stalin. it represents a naked young man with his arms raised to the sky in a sign of prayer and adoration. It is one of the oldest and one of the most famous images in the world.
This bronze cast in the 1850s is in very good condition, the brown/black patina is in very good condition. It has been in the Barbedienne catalog since at least 1845 (see photo).