Renaissance style antique furniture is characterized by great emphasis on symmetry and proportion.  Favored woods were dark oak and walnut.  Cabinets and buffets in this style often feature hand carved fronts.  Greek and Roman references were popular design elements.

 

Ferdinand Barbedienne (1810-1892) was born in Normand, but  moved to Paris when he was very young , where he was apprenticed to Dumas et Fils.

 

Although trained as a wallpaper manufacturer, in 1838 he entered into partnership with Achilles Collas. By 1847 he had established his first foundry and already had a reputation as a bronzer. He was sought out by the more famous sculptors of the day to cast and edit their works. His workshops continued to prosper and by 1855 he was exhibiting at Exposition Universelle in Paris.

 

The Barbedienne workshops were equipped to perform bronze reduction, fine metal cutting, bronze mounting, marble work, turning enamel decoration, and crystal engraving.  The firm was celebrated for bronze editions but also produced decorative objects in styles that reflected the various exotic and revival trends popular at that time.  Its work met with wide acclaim at all of the major international exhibitions during the second half of the 19th century.

 

As the foundry grew so did Barbedienne’s clientele; he cast for Falconet, Carrier-Belleuse, Auguste and Mathurin Moreau. His ormolu was in high demand by the master cabinetmakers of Paris. Works by Barbedienne can be found in the collection at Windsor Castle, Buckingham Palace, Marlborough House, the Victoria & Albert Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art as well as private collections.

 

After Barbedienne’s death in 1892, the business was taken over by his nephew, Leblanc, and continued production until 1953.