Maison Barbedienne - Pair Of Pot Covers - Last Quarter Of The Nineteenth Century

Ferdinand Barbedienne (1810-1892).
Pair of pot covers.
Gilt bronze and colored enamels.
Signed F.Barbedienne.
Last quarter of the 19th century.


Ferdinand Barbedienne (1810-1892) began his career in Paris as a wallpaper representative. He joined forces with Achille Collas and founded the company A. Collas & Barbedienne in 1838. They created reduced copies of numerous sculpted works from European museums according to the formula invented by Achille Collas.

Following the example of the enamel workshop of the Manufacture de Sèvres, which operated from 1845 to 1872 and as a great collector of Far Eastern cloisonné enamels, Ferdinand Barbedienne introduced enamel very early in his manufacture of art objects. He created "champlevé" enamels from the late 1850s, painted enamels "in Limoges’ way", and Far Eastern cloisonné enamels at the beginning of the 1870s. Barbedienne secured the exclusive collaboration of remarkable enamellers such as Alfred Serre for the special workshop of painted enamels (before 1872) or Fernand Thesmar for that of cloisonné enamels (from 1872).

The technique used by Ferdinand Barbedienne distinguished itself by its level of complexity. It consists of a founded mesh representing the pattern, then the enamel powder is introduced into the interstices thus formed before firing the object. The enamel color gradations thus obtained by Barbedienne are a real feat.

These objects made a great impression at the Universal Exhibition in London in 1862. The quality of the casting, the chasing and the patina, specific to the technique of Barbedienne, made that the signature of the founder gained gradually in importance. The founder was promoted to the rank of Commander of the Legion of Honor on July 7, 1874.