Exceptional Pair of Vases by Louis Constant Sevin and Ferdinand Barbedienne

An exceptional pair of French Ormolu and Champleve Enamel vases by Louis Constant Sevin and Ferdinand Barbedienne, circa 1860.

"A Pair of Monumental Exhibition Vases"

This impressive and rare pair of vases were first exhibited by Barbedienne at the 1862 London International Exhibition, which marked the beginning of a revival in the medieval French tradition of enameling. The form of this work is inspired by ancient Greek amphorae, but the feline heads are more reminiscent of Egyptian taste, and the boldly coloured and intricately scrolling enamel decoration betrays Byzantine, Moorish and even Persian influences, truly reflecting the eclecticism prevalent in French decorative arts during the Second Empire.

A version of these vases were exhibited at the 1862 Universal Exhibition in London. As the model was popular at the Exhibition, Barbedienne and Sevin developed other versions of the vases that include variations to the ears of the cats, palmettes replacing the cabochons on the central band as well as differences in the shape of the legs.

A nearly identical pair is in the Musée d'Orsay, Paris (OAO 1296)

A single vase of this form is in the Cleveland Museum of Art, and a further single example of this version is in the Milwaukee Art Museum.

The Paris bronze maker and caster Ferdinand Barbedienne (1810-1892) opened his eponymous foundry in 1839 in collaboration with Achille Collas, initially specialising in the production of smaller-scale copies of both Antique and contemporary sculptural work. In 1855 he hired the designer Louis-Constant Sévin (1821-1888) as his chief sculpteur ornemantiste and launched a successful 30-year artistic collaboration creating enameled objects and vases in the 'Neo-Greek' style, with which the firm became particularly associated. Following Barbedienne's death the foundry was taken over by his nephew Gustave Leblanc, who continued the business of casting work by contemporary artists, notably Rodin.

Literature:

Bascou, Marc, ed., De l'Impressionnisme à l'Art nouveau: acquisitions du Musée d'Orsay, 1990-1996, exhibition catalogue Paris, Musée d'Orsay, 1996

Jonathan Meyer, Great Exhibitions, 1851-1900, Woodbridge 2006, p.135

Florence Rionnet, Les Bronzes Barbedienne. L'œuvre d'une dynastie de fondeurs (1834-1954), Paris 2016

Very good condition overall, wear consistent with age and use. Minor rubbing and enamel wear. Ready to place.

Measures: 30.5" high x 11.5" wide.