Ferdinand BARBEDIENNE (1810-1892), in the... - Lot 101 - Le Floc'h

Ferdinand BARBEDIENNE (1810-1892), in the taste of CHINA. Pair of copper candelabras decorated with polychrome cloisonné enamels on a blue background (accidents and wear) with chased and gilded bronze mounts of a bouquet of five six-light arms (one toupet missing), the shaft decorated with dragons and peacocks (one to be refixed), the base formed by four richly adorned elephant heads (accidents and wear to one). Signed F Barbedienne. China, Qing period for the piccierges. Paris, circa 1865 for the mounts. Height : 92 cm - Width : 37 cm Note : The 1867 Paris World's Fair, with its Japanese pavilion, brought chinoiserie, and more specifically Japonisme, back into fashion among French and international customers. The reuse and assembly of Oriental objects by French artists, which had already appeared in the 18th century, reached its apogee at this time, particularly with the creations of Edouard Lièvre. Ferdinand Barbedienne (1810-1892), a foundryman from 1838 onwards, quickly achieved success with reduced copies of sculptures held in public collections. From 1855 onwards, in partnership with Louis-Constant Sévin, he also began to create, in particular, cloisonné enamel pieces in the Chinese style. Following the sacking of the Palais d'Eté in 1860, the lid of a large cloisonné enamel censer was offered to Napoleon III. In 1863, Ferdinand Barbedienne was commissioned to transform it into an elaborate chandelier. This chandelier is now the centerpiece of the Musée Chinois at the Château de Fontainebleau, opened in June 1863. The museum also also displays a large Qianlong-period imperial temple set, also acquired by the Allied Forces in 1860, in which the candlesticks and Gu vases were transformed into candelabra, presumably by Barbedienne.A comparable pair of candelabra with four elephant-head bases, signed Barbedienne, was sold by Bonhams London, May 12, 2011, lot 436. Expert: Mr. Cédric Henon