Boîte Coffret Bronze Doré F.Barbedienne Fleurs Palmettes Napoléon III XIXè

Finely chased gilt bronze box or casket with vegetal and floral motifs on the lid and palmettes on the body, signed F.Barbedienne*, in its original Napoleon III period 19th century casket.
This box is in very good condition. It is signed below, see photos.
Please note: some wear on the box, minimal wear and scratches from the passage of time, see photos.
*Ferdinand Barbedienne (1810-1892)
was a French industrialist. He is best known for his art reproduction bronze foundry. The son of a modest Norman farmer, he made his first fortune in wallpaper before joining forces in 1838 with mechanic Achille Collas (1795-1859), who had just invented a process for reproducing art objects in bronze on a smaller scale. In 1839, Barbedienne founded the company where he had most of the statues in Europe's museums reproduced in bronze, small enough to grace modern interiors. His idea was to democratize art, by making accessible faithful reproductions of masterpieces. The themes chosen were often allegorical, drawing heavily on the ancient repertoire. Even today, it is quite common to find bronzes signed Barbedienne in bourgeois homes. He applied his processes to the work of the sculptors of his time (Barye, Fremiet, Mène, etc.) and created a large number of bronze furniture models, enamels, cloisonné, wood tops and bas-reliefs, etc. Through the publishing contracts he offered them, he contributed to their success by distributing their works. Being childless, it was his nephew and successor, Gustave Leblanc-Barbedienne, who developed the foundry, specializing in monumental bronzes. In France, many war memorials are signed Leblanc-Barbedienne. The quality of the casting, chasing and patina, typical of the Barbedienne style, meant that the founder's signature gradually gained in importance. Thanks in particular to Ferdinand Barbedienne, the relationship between sculptor and foundryman has become analogous to that between composer and performer in music. Ferdinand Barbedienne is buried in the Père-Lachaise cemetery in Paris.
Diameter: 11.8 cm
Dimensions: case 16.8 cm 16.8 cm / 10.5 cm
Height : 9 cm
Reference : E10 36
All photos on :
www.antiques-delaval.com

Ref: F041BH13XY