INCREDIBLE FRENCH SIGNED F BARBEDIENNE SILVERED BRONZE & GILT JEWELRY CASKET BOX

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INCREDIBLE FRENCH SIGNED F BARBEDIENNE SILVERED BRONZE & GILT JEWELRY CASKET BOX:
$4995.00

INCREDIBLE 19th CENTURYFRENCH SIGNED FERDINAND BARBEDIENNE SILVERED BRONZE & GILT JEWELRY CASKET BOX - CIRCA 1880

Measures approximately 6 3/8\" high by 8 3/8\" wide by 4 3/4\" deep.

This exquisite French bronze jewelry box has incredibly intricate design work. The lid has a musical theme with different musical instruments on each corner. Cherubs frolicking abound on the front and back panels and on each end panel is a \'Nouveauesque\' woman\'s face.

Signed \'F Barbedienne\' under one of the lady masks on one of the end panels (see photo).

The inside of the casket box is wonderfully and brightly gilt. There is a lock but I do not have the key. If one doesn\'t like the patina which is a result of the loss of silverplating, it can easily be re-silvered.

About the F. Barbedienne Foundry:

The F. Barbedienne foundry was started in Parisin 1838 by Ferdinand Barbedienne and Achille Collas, who was the inventor of amachine that would mechanically reduce statues. They at first produced bronzereductions of antique sculptures of Greek and Roman origin. Their firstcontract to produce bronzes modeled by a living artist was made in 1843 whenthey arranged to produce the works of Francois Rude. They barely survived therevolution and financial collapse of 1848 which caused many artists andfoundries to declare bankruptcy. Barbedienne actively pursued contracts withthe many sculptors of Paris contracting with David D\'Angers, Jean-BaptisteClesinger, and even producing some casts for Antoine Louis Barye as well asothers.

Achille Collas died in 1859 leaving FerdinandBarbedienne as the sole owner of the foundry which by that time had grown toemploy over 300 workers at their workshop located at 63 Rue de Lancry in Paris.Ferdinand Barbedienne was made the President of the Reunion of Bronze Makers in1865 a post he held until 1885. The outbreak of the Franco-Prussian war in 1870and the shortage of raw metals caused him to have to stop making sculptures buthe did receive a contract from the French government for the production ofcannons which kept his foundry open. After the war he resumed his casting ofsculptures and put even more effort into signing contracts with varioussculptors.

Barbedienne purchased 125 casting models fromthe late Antoine Louis Barye’s sale in 1876. He set about casting and sellingeditions of these sculptures which was very successful, devoting an entirecatalogue to these works. Ferdinand Barbedienne died on March 21 1891 and wasmourned by many in the world of sculpture. It was said that he strove to thehighest quality in his castings Albert Susse said of him that he was the\"pride of the nation\" and that that he \"carried the splendor ofour industry so loftily to all international competitions\". The running ofthe foundry was taken over by Gustave Leblanc, a nephew, and continued the highstandards set by M. Barbedienne. The foundry set up agencies in Germany,Britain, and the United States to market their production. Leblanc activelypurchased models and production rights form sculptors including Auguste Rodin andthe estates of sculptures including Emmanuel Fremiet. The foundry continued underthe stewardship of M. Leblanc until 1952.