F. Barbedienne 19th Century Large Gilt Bronze Tazza

Important Tazza cup in chased and gilded bronze from the 19th century signed by the famous bronze-maker Ferdinand Barbedienne presenting a neoclassical decoration in bas relief in the Antique style made in collaboration with the sculptor Ferdinand Levillain (1837-1905) signed and titled in the decoration. Very elegant piece in the form of a Greek kylix depicting the Greek divinities: Menalcas and Mopsus after the novel by Virgil, Menalcas is seated and listens thoughtfully to Mopsus who plays the flute on a background animated by vine branches and a column surmounted by a kantharos. The handles are paired by Bacchic masks in high relief and decorated on the reverse with stylized lotus leaves. The whole resting on an elegant ringed pedestal. Good condition, dimensions: 48 cm wide X 16 cm highFerdinand BARBEDIENNE settled in Paris in 1822, his meeting with Achille Collas (1795-1859) dates from these years. Collas and Barbedienne went into partnership and opened a foundry in 1838. Barbedienne, very interested in the innovative techniques favored by the government of Louis-Philippe, actively participated in the Romantic movement. The taste for history and Gallo-Roman archaeology spread at the same time as that of ancient bronzes. Achille Collas had also invented a mechanical process which made it possible to mathematically reproduce, by means of a reducer, or pantograph, sculptures in the round. This invention was considered from the start as important as that of the daguerreotype. The Collas and Barbedienne company sold plaster reductions of the Venus de Milo for a while, then specialized in the production of bronzes based on antiques. At the International Exhibition in London in 1851, then at the Paris Exhibition in 1855, the company, registered under the name Barbedienne, won numerous medals. It then presented reductions based on antiques, the Renaissance, the 18th century and some modern sculptors such as Bosio, David d'Angers, Clesinger and Frémiet, with whom Barbedienne signed exclusive contracts. Ferdinand Levillain was an ornamental artist, sculptor and medalist who drew inspiration from antique scenes and models. He notably designed numerous bowls, cups, vases and light fixtures. Ferdinand Levillain studied under the sculptor Jouffroy (1806-1882), before making his debut in 1861 at the Salon des Artistes Français, where he exhibited until 1903. At the 1867 Universal Exhibition in Paris, he was noted for having created a bronze cup in the neo-Greek style. However, it was from 1871 onwards that Levillain achieved fame, thanks to his association with the famous bronze-maker Ferdinand Barbedienne. From then on, he exhibited lamps, bowls, amphorae and other candelabras created in the Greek style on his stands. Levillain triumphed at the Universal Exhibition in Paris in 1878, unanimously winning a Gold Medal for his works in the antique style. After receiving a first-class medal at the 1884 Salon for a cup entitled "The Elements, the Months and the Seasons," he won a Silver Medal at the 1889 Universal Exhibition. Several works by Ferdainand Levillain are featured in the collections of the Musée d'Orsay.