A covered bowl in patinated bronze Signed F. Barbedienne

A patinated bronze pedestal urn with a ball-shaped lid decorated with acanthus leaves, ovals and entwined snakes. On the body of the vase, a galloping horse and a bull are both depicted walking on a rich garland of fruit and wheat, held in place on the sides by male figures with youthful faces forming the handles. The vase stands on a stepped wooden base covered with velvet fabric. Bronze signed Ferdinand Barbedienne.

Dim: H 13.38 in / W 10.23 in / D 8.26 in.

Height without base: 25 cm. ( 9.84 in)

Ferdinand Barbedienne (1810-1892) created and directed one of the most important art foundries in the second half of the 19th century. He was renowned both for his castings of ancient and modern sculptures, whose subjects were drawn from the greatest museums in Europe, and for his original bronzes, designed in his workshops. In addition to his own work, Barbedienne worked for the most renowned sculptors, including Barrias, Clésinger and Carrier-Belleuse. Having already won two Council medals at the London Exhibition in 1851, Barbedienne went on to win a Grand Medal of Honour at the Exposition Universelle in Paris in 1855. 

Barbedienne's success at the International Exhibitions led to numerous official commissions. At the Universal Exhibition in London in 1862, Barbedienne won medals in three different classes: art furniture, silverware and art bronzes. Appointed Officier de la Légion d'Honneur in 1867, he was made Commandeur in 1878, following the Universal Exhibition, where the jury compared him to "a prince of industry and the king of bronze". His fame continued to spread over the years, and at the 1889 Universal Exhibition, the critics thanked Barbedienne for serving as a master to other bronzemakers, thanks to the consistently exemplary quality of his bronzes.

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