Flower Holder Vase F. Barbedienne

Signed F. Barbedienne France Circa 1880 Top. : 19cm; Diam. : 21 cm Louis XVI style flower holder consisting of a vase on its tray, made of openwork and gilded bronze, decorated with four medallions where cupids and trophies of musical instruments, fruits and doves alternate. A garland of fruit and scrolls completes the ensemble. This flower holder is a creation by Constant Sévin, renowned for his “exquisite compositions”, made for the Barbedienne house. It bears witness to the neo-Louis XVI movement experienced by France in the second half of the 19th century, notably with Empress Eugénie's enthusiasm for the figure of Marie-Antoinette. Biography: Louis-Constant Sévin (1821-1888) created goldsmith objects for renowned houses such as Denière, Froment-Meurice and Morel in 1839 as a designer. During the Revolution of 1848, C. Sévin joined Morel in London and created pieces for him which were then exhibited at the Universal Exhibition of 1851. Returning to France, Constant Sévin worked in 1855 for the famous bronze maker Ferdinand Barbedienne who named him head of its decorators. The work of C. Sévin is considerable. Among his two thousand listed drawings, he created those intended for the bronze furnishings of the Hôtel de La Païva on the Champs-Elysées. His talent was then recognized and at the London Exhibition in 1862, he received a medal “for the artistic excellence of the furniture that he designed and which was exhibited by Barbedienne”. A gold medal as a cooperator was also awarded to him at the exhibition of the Central Union of Decorative Arts in 1863. F. Barbedienne said that posterity would remember the compositions of Constant Sévin. The most extraordinary object created by C. Sévin for F. Barbedienne was a monumental clock in gilded bronze in the Renaissance style, four meters high, which earned its creator a gold medal and the Legion of Honor. the Universal Exhibition of 1878 in Paris. This undeniable triumph continued at the Universal Exhibition of 1889. Born in 1810, died in Paris in 1892, Ferdinand Barbedienne created and directed one of the most important art foundries of the 19th century. In addition to his own production, he worked for the most renowned sculptors such as Clésinger, Carrier-Belleuse and Guillemin. His entire production was always highly noted and his person constantly honored by contemporary critics, notably by comparing him, at the Universal Exhibition of 1878, to “a prince of Industry and the king of bronze”. There he received the Grand Prix of the Universal Exhibition and 28 collaborator medals. His glory did not diminish over the years, since at the Universal Exhibition of 1889, critics thanked Barbedienne for serving as a master to other bronze workers, through the always exemplary quality of his bronzes. Bibliography “The artists of industry, Constant Sévin”, in the Revue des arts decoratifs, Victor Champier, December 1888, February 1889, p.163. Dimensions: D: 21 cm H: 19 cm Restorations: use and maintenance. Period: 19th century.