Ferdinand Barbedienne

FERDINAND BARBEDIENNE (France, 1810-1892), foundryman.
French school of the 19th century.
Following Greek models (440 BC). Vatican Museum. Rome
"Amazona Mattei".
Patinated bronze.
Seal and signature on the base.
Measurements: 59 x 22 x 15 cm.

This is a scale version of the Amazona Mattei preserved in the Vatican Museum. There are several Roman copies of three types of statues from the classical period representing Amazons wounded in combat, and are reproductions of three lost bronze originals from Ephesus: Experts attribute the "Mattei type" (the one we show) to Phidias, but regarding the "Sciarra" and "Sosicles" types, it is not certain which is the work of Polyclitus and which of Cressilas. The three statues have a short chiton and hair tied back, reminiscent of the long-haired hairstyles of the ladies of Greek high society, while the well-exercised bodies seem to emulate those of male warriors and athletes. The face of the Amazon Mattei and her dynamic posture reflect determination and courage, the feminine strength that characterizes mythological Amazons. The chiton, hanging from her shoulder, exposes her left breast where she shows a wound.

The F. Barbedienne foundry was founded in Paris in 1838 by Ferdinand Barbedienne and Achille Collas, the latter inventor of a machine to mechanically reduce the size of sculptures. At first they were dedicated to the production of bronze reproductions of sculptures from Roman and Greek antiquity, such as the one presented here. Their first contract to publish works created by a living artist was signed in 1843, with the sculptor François Rude. During the following years, after surviving the economic collapse of 1848, the Barbedienne house signed contracts with many of the sculptors active in Paris at the time, including David d'Angers, Jean-Baptiste Clesinger, Antoine Louis Barye and others. Achille Collas died in 1859, after which Ferdinand Barbedienne was left as sole partner in a firm that had grown to approximately three hundred workers. In 1865 he was appointed president of the Association of Broncists, a position he held until 1885. However, the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian War in 1870, and the consequent shortage of raw metals, forced Barbedienne to interrupt his artistic production, although he signed a contract with the French government to make cannons, which allowed him to keep the foundry open. After the war, he resumed his sculptural production and put even more effort into signing contracts with various sculptors. At his death in 1891, he was praised as the best foundryman in France, and was called by Albert Susse "a source of pride for the nation". The management of the foundry then fell to Barbedienne's nephew, Gustave Leblanc, who continued the high quality of production and opened branches in Germany, England and the United States.