Chandelier by the Maison Barbedienne

Ferdinand Barbedienne after the drawings of Louis-Constant Sévin.
Chandelier with 6 arms of light.
Cloisonné enamel, ormolu, tinted glass.
France, circa 1860-70.

This chandelier is close to a model displayed by Barbedienne at the London World Fair in 1862, admired for its Byzantine style, the outstanding precision of the metal work and the cloisonné enamel technique that Barbedienne had developed since the 1850s. That same year, Barbedienne won medals in three different classes: art furniture, goldsmith's and silversmith's art.
Our chandelier is part of the production of this decade, which is the work of a genius ornamentalist: Louis-Constant Sévin, associated with Ferdinand Barbedienne since 1855. The strength of his imagination combined with his knowledge expressed itself in all the styles.
Thus, our creative neo-Gothic style chandelier has a crown decorated with shields featuring abstract motifs alternating with floral motifs, all in cloisonné enamel. The arms of light, worked in the manner of a plant stem that blooms into flowers, are surmounted by scalloped binnacles also decorated with cloisonné motifs. The two glasses bowls and the wicks have been preserved, which is rare.