Barbedienne, Oriental Style Gilded Bronze Box

A very fine Oriental style gilded bronze box
by Ferdinand Barbedienne.

France
circa 1880
height 8 cm
diameter 10,3 cm

A very fine Oriental style box, made in gilded bronze, decorated with entrelacs, stylized flowers and foliage.Preserved with its original gilding.

Biography
Born in 1810, Ferdinand Barbedienne started at n°30 boulevard Poissonnière in Paris one of the most famous 19^th century artistic bronze casting companies. He died in 1892. In addition to his personal production, he worked for famous artists such as Auguste Clésinger (1814-1883), Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse (1824-1887) and Louis Barrias (1841-1905 At the London Universal Exhibition of 1862 Barbedienne exhibited some « cloisonné » enamel works, which were for most of them designed by Constant Sévin, and won medals in three different categories : Furniture, Silversmith work and Artistic bronzes, combining for some pieces with enamels (Oriental style cup, Château de Compiègne, Inv. C 71-122). Barbedienne’s production was always highly esteemed and he was, himself admired by contemporary art critics who compared him during the 1878 Universal Exhibition to a « prince of industry and the king of bronze-casting ».