A Lovely Pair of Snake Decorated Bronze Candlesticks by Ferdinand BARBEDIENNE.
This beautiful creation shows the extend of Ferdinand BARBEDIENNE’s Art and refinement of his work.
This delicate pair show a fluted shaft on which a snake curls around.
The beauty of the snake’s body is absolutely stunning. The scales are each defined and the movement of the muscles is incredible.
A beautiful pair!
They are signed on the rounded base F Barbedienne, as show on our 8th photo.
Ferdinand BARBEDIENNE was born in Loudon, Calvados in a small farm on August 6th 1810.
He began his Parisian Career as a wallpaper dealer, but soon met Achille Collas who had just invented a machine to create miniature bronze replicas of Antique statues.
Together they decided to approach the Europeans Museums and began selling the perfect miniature replicas of their most beautiful Antique statues, thus democratizing collections and making Artworks more accessible to households.
In 1843 they expended their range to include statues made by living artists and proposed enameled works.
Barbedienne actively pursued contracts with Jean Baptiste Clesinger as well as David D’Angers.
Among the more famous Artists approached by Barbedienne and Collas were August RODIN and Antoine Louis BARYE.
In 1859 Collas passed away, leaving Ferdinand BARBEDIENNE as sole proprietor of the company which by then had become successful enough to include 300 workers, and was located Rue de Lancry in Paris.
In 1865 Barbedienne was named as the President of the Reunion of Bronze Makers.
In 1870 the start of the Franco Prussian war halted the Art business briefly, but Barbedienne soon received a government contract for the production of cannons, which kept him from bankruptcy.
After the war he picked up his artwork castings again and by 1876 had purchased 125 casting models from Antoine Louis BARYE. He devoted a full catalogue for these sculptures and was extremely successful in selling them.
He passed away in March of 1891. It was said that he had attained the highest quality of casting ever achieved and that he had helped promote France’s mastery of the Bronze Arts.
The foundry was taken over by his nephew, Gustave LEBLANC, who continued with the same high standard set by Barbedienne until 1952.