Box Gilded Bronze Box F.barbedienne Flowers Palmettes Napoleon III Nineteenth

Box or box in finely chiseled gilt bronze decorated with vegetal motifs and flowers on the lid, as well as palmettes on the body, signed F.Barbedienne *, in its original box, Napoleon III nineteenth century. This box is in very good condition. It is signed below see photos. A note: some wear on the box, tiny wear and scratches of time, see photos. * Ferdinand Barbedienne (1810-1892) was a French industrialist. He is mainly known for his art reproduction bronze foundry. Son of a modest Norman farmer, he made his first fortune in wallpapers before joining in 1838 with the mechanic Achille Collas (1795-1859), who had invented a process of reproduction in bronze and smaller scale, of art objects. In 1839, Barbedienne founded the house, where he had most of the statues of European museums reproduced in bronze, small enough to decorate modern interiors. His idea was to democratize art, making accessible faithful reproductions of masterpieces. The themes chosen are often allegorical, and draw heavily on the ancient repertoire. Still today, it is quite common to find in homes "bourgeois" bronzes signed Barbedienne. He applied his methods to the work of the sculptors of his time (Barye, Fremiet, Mene, etc.) and created many models of bronze furniture, enamels, cloisonné, high and low-reliefs in wood and so on. Through the publishing contracts he proposed to them, he contributed to their success through the dissemination of their works. Being childless, it was his nephew and successor, Gustave Leblanc-Barbedienne, who developed the foundry specializing in monumental bronzes. In France, many memorials to the dead are signed Leblanc-Barbedienne. The quality of the cast iron, the chiselling and the patina, peculiar to the Barbedienne way have made that gradually, the signature of the foundry has gained importance. Notably thanks to Ferdinand Barbedienne, the relationship of sculptor to founder has become analogous to the relationship between the composer and the performer for music. Ferdinand Barbedienne rests in the Père-Lachaise cemetery in Paris. Diameter: 11,8 cm Dimensions: box 16,8 cm 16,8 cm / 10,5 cm Height: 9 cm Reference: E10 36 All photos are on: www.antiques-delaval.com