Large gilt bronze cup, Algerian onyx and cloisonné enamels

Large cup on pedestal with bronze handles, palmettes and volutes.
It rests on a high square base in onyx and bronze.
wait. at FB, 19th century
H: 31cm
diameter: 25cm
L: 35cm

Ferdinand Barbedienne (1810-1882) was a French industrialist and great bronze maker of his time.

Born in Normandy, Barbedienne quickly settled in Paris and ran a wallpaper store. He met Achille Collas and both of them opened a foundry in 1838. Collas had already invented a machine that mathematically reproduced sculptures.

Collas and Barbedienne sell plaster cuts of the Venus de Milo all over the world. She subsequently devoted herself to bronze after the antique. Barbedienne's idea is to democratize art to make it accessible, while being consistent in the reproduction of the work. This invention allowed him to stand out and to gain a good reputation among the sculptors of the moment, such as Antonin Mercié, Paul Dubois ...

He also dabbled in decorative objects and furniture. In 1862, he did not go unnoticed at the World's Fair in London, with his art objects inlaid with enamels (first tests recorded in 1858).