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Ferdinand Barbedienne

French, 1810-1892

Founded by one-time Parisian wallpaper dealer Ferdinand Barbedienne and engineer Achille Collas, one of the most revered foundries in 19th-century France began with the invention of a revolutionary 1830s-era device that could produce proportional reproductions — large or small — of sculptures. Collas’s machine, which yielded miniature likenesses of antiquities for the interiors of homes the world over, was pivotal to the success of the F. Barbedienne Foundry. The successful firm earned prestigious awards and critical acclaim and created exquisite bronze candleholdersclocks and lamps for a range of wealthy and prominent clients. 

The duo first launched their company under the name Société Collas et Barbedienne, and early on, they optimized chemical processes for pigmenting and patinating their bronze statuettes. After Collas died in 1859, Barbedienne forged on alone, and the company’s name changed to simply F. Barbedienne.

Barbedienne employed more than 300 workers at that point, and the Maison created a range of furnishings and decorative objects that featured the integration of marble and ormolu accents. However, with the onset of the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, the foundry was forced to retrofit its molds, and the production of cannons replaced sculpturesfurniture and vases.

When Ferdinand Barbedienne passed away in 1891, his nephew and heir, Gustave Leblanc, took over as president, changing the name to Leblanc-Barbedienne. Leblanc expanded production into Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States, carrying on the company's legacy with monumental sculptures, and models and securing production rights for famous statues. Paul-Alexandre Dumas, an Art Nouveau maker and student of Louis Majorelle, succeeded Leblanc until the company's closing in 1952.

Barbedienne pieces had been exhibited regularly in the 19th century and were especially prevalent at Europe’s international expositions and world’s fairs, where they received numerous prizes. Today, the Musée d’Orsay in Paris holds dozens of Barbedienne works in its collection, including intricate mirrors, vases and cups created by Louis-Constant Sévin at the foundry. For more than two decades, Sévin created lamps, boxes and more at Maison Barbedienne. Working alongside award-winning chaser Désiré Attarge, Sévin designed Napoleon III-era works that greatly appealed to European nobility.

Other notable artists who collaborated with Barbedienne included Eugene AizelinEmmanuel FremietAntonin MerciéEmile GuilleminEdouard LievreFerdinand Levillain and Auguste Rodin.

On 1stDibs, find a collection of antique Ferdinand Barbedienne decorative objects, lighting and more.

Antoine Louis Barye, Panthère d'Inde sur Encrier, Fonte Ferdinand Barbedienne
By Antoine-Louis Barye, Ferdinand Barbedienne
Located in PARIS, FR
Beautiful "Panther of India" sculpture by Antoine Louis Barye mounted atop a green and white veined marble inkwell, Ferdinand Barbedienne edition, France circa 1900. Signed by the ar...
Category

1890s French Romantic Antique Ferdinand Barbedienne

Materials

Marble, Metal, Bronze

Ottoman Style Chandelier by F. Barbedienne, France, circa 1880
By Ferdinand Barbedienne
Located in PARIS, FR
Signed F. Barbedienne Rare Ottoman style gilded bronze chandelier composed of an openwork crown, from which ten arms of light emerge, holding six transparent glasses decorated with ...
Category

1880s French Islamic Antique Ferdinand Barbedienne

Materials

Bronze

Ferdinand Barbedienne Low Handled Bronze Borghese Urn
By Ferdinand Barbedienne
Located in Hastings, GB
Glorious 19th century gilt bronze low handled urn modelled after the original Borghese vase by Giovanni Zoffoli (c1785-1845) cast by Barbedienne in the third quarter of the 19th cen...
Category

1870s French Classical Greek Antique Ferdinand Barbedienne

Materials

Bronze

Charming enamel and gilded Bronze Ewer by F. Barbedienne, France, circa 1870
By Ferdinand Barbedienne
Located in PARIS, FR
Signed F. Barbedienne Height : 31,5 cm (12,4 in.) ; Width : 12 cm (4,7 in.) ; Depth : 10,5 cm (4,1 in.) Charming baluster-shaped ewer in gilded bronze decorated with red and blue polychrome cloisonné enamel. Two beaded handles connect the body to the slender neck, ending in a flared pouring spout, and it rests on a circular piedouche. The whole is decorated with abundant engraved decoration of foliage interlacing. Barbedienne and the Cloisonné enamel : Ferdinand Barbedienne continuously innovated and he revived the use of enamel on art works during the second half of the 19th century. The Sèvres Manufacture enamel workshop had ever tried it in 1854-1855, but Barbedienne was the one who succeeded to join enamel to an industrial decorative objects production. From 1858 “At Mr Barbedienne’s, enamels in copper ornaments have got their former prestige back” (Les bronzes de la Maison Barbedienne, C. Simon, in L’Art du XIXe siècle, 1858, n°21, p. 252). The Barbedienne Company had now an enamel workshop where objects ornamented with oriental style or medieval style enamels were made. Four years after, Barbedienne’s cloisonné...
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1880s French Napoleon III Antique Ferdinand Barbedienne

Materials

Bronze, Enamel

F. Barbedienne - Oil Lamp / Hand Candle Holder
By Ferdinand Barbedienne
Located in Beaune, FR
Oil lamp or hand candle holder in gilded and patinated bronze signed "Ferdinand BARBEDIENNE". It is in very good condition.
Category

19th Century French Antique Ferdinand Barbedienne

Materials

Bronze

Pair Of French 19th Century Louis XV St. Cloisonné And Ormolu Candelabras
By Ferdinand Barbedienne
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A beautifully and high quality pair of French 19th century Louis XV st. Cloisonné and Ormolu candelabras, signed F. Barbedienne. Each six arm candelabra is raised by a square Ormolu ...
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19th Century French Louis XV Antique Ferdinand Barbedienne

Materials

Enamel, Ormolu

19th Century Barbedienne French Champleve Enamel and Gilt bronze clock set
By Ferdinand Barbedienne
Located in Autonomous City Buenos Aires, CABA
19th Century Barbedienne French Champleve Enamel and Gilt bronze clock set A fine 19th Century French three piece clock garniture set. Comprising of a clock and pair of candelabra, ...
Category

19th Century French Napoleon III Antique Ferdinand Barbedienne

Materials

Bronze, Enamel

F. Barbedienne, 19th Century French Gilt Bronze and Cloisonnè Enamel Tazza Cup
By Ferdinand Barbedienne
Located in Firenze, IT
This French 19th Century antique lovely bronze and cloisonnè enamel tazza or cup with handles is an artwork made by Ferdinand Barbedienne (1810–1892). This Napoleon III period little...
Category

19th Century French Napoleon III Antique Ferdinand Barbedienne

Materials

Bronze, Enamel

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Creators Similar to Ferdinand Barbedienne

F. Barbedienne Foundry
Ferdinand Levillain
Manufacture Le Vieux Paris
Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux
Porcelaine de Paris

Ferdinand Barbedienne furniture for sale on 1stDibs.

Ferdinand Barbedienne furniture are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of metal and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of Ferdinand Barbedienne furniture, although gold editions of this piece are particularly popular. Many of the original furniture by Ferdinand Barbedienne were created in the neoclassical style in europe during the 19th century. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider furniture by Eugene-Antoine Aizelin, Mathurin Moreau, and Henri Picard. Prices for Ferdinand Barbedienne furniture can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $611 and can go as high as $350,000, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $15,800.

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