Ferdinand Barbedienne; Stanilas Levillain

FERDINAND BARBEDIENNE (France, 1810-1892), after models of STANILAS LEVILLAIN (Le Havre, 1774-Timor, 1801).
Pair of vases. Neo-Greek style.
Patinated and gilded bronze.
Base in red marble.
A similar model by Ferdinand Levillian was exhibited at the 1875 Salon with the title "The Sacrifice", included in the catalog published by Barbedienne in 1880.
Measurements: 65 x 21 x 21 cm.

Pair of patinated bronze vases inspired by ancient Greek amphorae. They stand on claw feet with anthropomorphic torsos representing Hercules, whom we recognize by the lion skin covering him. Their ovoid bodies are decorated with bas-reliefs depicting a ritual sacrificial scene of a lamb and an ephebus playing a double flute or aulos. Palmettes, masks, vine branches, vine leaves and musical instruments complete the decoration. The vessels rest on red marble bases.

It is a piece by Ferdinand Barbedienne, following models by Stanilas Levillain, bronze artist, sculptor and medalist who was inspired by ancient scenes and models. Ferdinand Barbedienne was a French cabinetmaker and bronze artist, exponent of the Second Empire style. He worked for several sculptors, such as Antoine-Louis Barye. In 1839 he partnered with Achille Collas, with whom he set up a bronze factory in Paris, which had up to three hundred workers. In addition to bronze objects, they produced furniture and silver pieces, in an eclectic style ranging from neo-Renaissance to neo-Louis XVI. In 1850 he was commissioned to furnish the Hôtel de Ville in Paris. In 1851 he participated in the Great Exhibition in London with an ebony and bronze bookcase based on models by Ghiberti and Michelangelo. He was also present at the Universal Exhibition of 1862 with a bronze vase with champagne enamels, now in the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. In the 1880s he turned his production towards oriental influences, mainly Chinese and Japanese. In 1863 he received the Legion of Honor with the rank of knight, which was elevated to that of officer in 1867 and commander in 1874.

Stanislas Levillain studied with the sculptor Jouffroy (1806-1882), before making his debut in 1861 at the Salon des Artistes Français, where he continued to exhibit until 1903. At the Paris Exposition Universelle of 1867, he was praised for a neo-Grec-style bronze goblet he made for the firm of Blot and Drouard. However, he did not really become famous until 1871, thanks to his association with the great bronze caster Ferdinand Barbedienne, who began exhibiting neo-Grec style lamps, goblets, vases and candlesticks on his stands. Levillain triumphed overwhelmingly at the Paris Universal Exposition of 1878, where he was unanimously awarded the gold medal for his classical-style creations. The celebrated bronze caster Servant (1828-c.1890) declared in the report of the Jury of Artistic Bronzes that Levillain's works " chiseled like the finest jewels " and " so diverse and pure in form (...) are of the highest degree of perfection ". After receiving a first class medal at the 1884 Salon for a cup entitled "The Elements, the Months and the Seasons", Ferdinand Levillain won a silver medal at the 1889 Exposition Universelle de Paris.