A FRENCH ORMOLU-MOUNTED BURR-ELM PEDESTAL

SIGNED AND DATED F. BARBEDIENNE 1918

Details

A FRENCH ORMOLU-MOUNTED BURR-ELM PEDESTAL
SIGNED AND DATED F. BARBEDIENNE 1918
The stepped canted rectangular top above a lotus-leaf band and the front with an eagle in a laurel-wreath and a figure of Victory in a lozenge, the sides with the head of Mercury, above the stepped spreading base with laurel and stiff-leaf bands, the underside stamped 'F. BARBEDIENNE PARIS 1918' and accompanied by a fleur-de-lys in a shield and the ormolu band to top stamped 'F. BARBEDIENNE'
47 in. (120 cm.) high, 17½ in. (45 cm.) wide, 26 in. (67 cm.) deep

Lot Essay

Ferdinand Barbedienne (d. 1892) took up metal-working when he went into partnership with Achille Collas to specialize in making reductions of antique and modern sculpture as 'Collas & Barbedienne' in 1838. Eventually they employed 300 craftsmen. By 1850 the firm was also supplying furniture such as the large commission for Renaissance revival furnishings for the Hôtel de Ville in Paris. From 1851 they received numerous medals at international exhibitions and the company was fully renamed 'Barbedienne' upon Collas' death in 1859. After Ferdinand's death, when he had 600 employees, his nephew, Gustave Leblanc, succeeded him and carried on the business until 1954.

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