A pair of gilt-bronze-mounted labradorite veneered marble columns, with the coat-of-arms of Prince Anatole Demidoff (1813-1870) the marble Russian, the gilt-bronze French and by Ferdinand Barbedienne, Paris, circa 1850

the gilt-bronze capitals with rams' head corners and centered by the princely armorials of Prince Demidoff, the columns veneered in Russian labradorite marble and raised on rouge de Maremme marble socles

Formerly in the Collection of Prince Anatole Demidoff (1813-1870) (see Fig. 1),  sold by Prince Paul Demidoff, 2nd Prince of San Donato (1839-1885), as a part of a set of eight columns, San Donato, March 15th-17th, 1880, lot 116 (see Figs. 2 & 3).

In overall very good original condition. There are some minor scratches to the marble bases, which are hardly noticeable. The gilt-bronze is slightly dirty with some very minor verdis gris and would benefit from a light clean according to taste. On one of the 'crowns' one of the buttons from the decoration is missing but this is hardly noticeable. One of the 'crowns' has a metal band at the back to hold the pieces together but the screw is missing and this needs refixing. Very good quality casting.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Comparative Literature:
R. Wenley (Curator of Sculpture & Metalwork at the Victoria & Albert Museum), Partridge Fine Art Catalogue, Vol. II, 2001, pp. 155-161; The Trustees of the Wallace Collection, Wallace Collection Exhibition Catalogue, March 10 to July 25, 1994, p. 70.
C. Wainwright, 'Prince of San Donato,' Country Life, Vol. CLXXXVIII, no. 10, London, March 1994, p. 94-95, for articles on Anatole Demidoff, Prince of San Donato (1813-1870).

The Demidoff Family and San Donato:  
The collection formed by the Demidoff family ranks amongst those oustanding collections such as the Rothschilds, Lord Hertford, and his son Sir Richard Wallace.

Born in St. Petersburg, Anatole Demidoff (1813-1870) moved to Rome upon the death of his mother in 1818. In 1822, his father bought a tract of marshland at San Donato in Polverane to build a palace for his already burgeoning collection. Anatole continued to collect on a grand scale while continuing his philanthropic work, for which he was made Count of San Donato by the Grand Duke of Tuscany in 1836, and later raised to a princedom upon his marriage to Princess Mathilde Bonaparte in 1840. He was founder of the French Jockey Club and a contemporary of the 4th Marquess of Hertford (1800-1870).

Demidoff died on April 29, 1870, just before the last of his Florentine collection, including the present lot, were sold at auction. The auction had taken 28 days, selling over 2,500 lots. The seemingly limitless family fortune had come from industrial concerns and vast estates in the Siberian Urals.

The founder of the family fortunes was Nikita Demidoff (1665-1725), a blacksmith by trade, but by virtue of his skills, became armourer to Peter the Great, re-organised the production of firearms during his reign, the former later ennobled and landowner over vast mineral deposits, which included the labradorite veneered on the present lot.

His grandson, also named Nikita (1724-1789), travelled extensively throughout Europe and started the Demidoff collections. He was the first member of the family to visit Italy in 1772. He also helped Catherine the Great buy works of art in France. His son, Nicolas (1773-1828), later married into the Stroganoff family, and lived in Paris in the house later occupied by Sir Richard Wallace. He became Russian Minister to the Tuscan Court  and from then on the family played an important role  in Florentine history throughout the 19th century.

The main residence of the Demidoff family in Florence was the Villa San Donato from which their title was derived which was built in the first half of the 19th century by Count Nicholas. Such was the scale and historical range of the Demidoff collection that it might be compared to that of the celebrated English collector William Beckford.

On the abdication of the Grand Duke Leopold in 1859, Florence was annexed by the Kingdom of Sardinia and Demidoff, already unwell, returned to France. San Donato was closed, with the first celebrated sale of contents in 1863 attracting international buyers, including the Marquess of Hertford. Further auctions were held in 1868 and 1870 and the present lot was sold in 1880.

The Barbedienne Attribution:
The Barbedienne attribution for the gilt-bronze castings comes from the 1880 catalogue. As well as the eight labradorite columns, lot 116, the following lot was a pair of similarily veneered baluster vases, 128 centimeters high, also by the same founder. It might be assumed that these positive contemporary attributions were based, at best, on invoices, information that is now unavailable. According to unsubstantiated tradition, the molds for the capitals were destroyed so that they could not be copied.

The present lot is part of a set of eight, while the original capitals from the Renaissance, on which the present capitals were modeled, were exhibited in the Salon des Mosaïques.

The columns later were divided into two sets of four, one set placed at the top of the Escalier d'Honneur, the other within the Grand Salon d'Honneur.

Comparable Pieces:
Malachite had been used extensively by Nicolas Demidoff for furniture and furnishings and the tradition was continued by Anatole when large deposits were discovered on the Demidoff Estates in the Urals in 1835.

A pair of mid 19th century malachite columns, formerly in the Palazzo San Donato and with the coat-of-arms of Anatole Demidoff, of similar size to the present lot, but veneered in malachite from the Demidoff mines in the Nijni Taguil district in the Central Urals, are now in the Wallace Collection, London (no.325 F522-3, illustrated, Hughes, Vol. III, op. cit.  p. 1492)-reproduced here in fig..4. Anatole's propensity to decorate items he commissioned with his coat-of-arms, especially from 1840 onwards, when he was raised to the status of a prince, can be seen on both the Wallace columns and the present lot.

FERDINAND BARBEDIENNE (1810-1892):
Having established one of France's most important foundries in 1839, Ferdinand Barbedienne (1810-1892) excelled at the masterly art of reproducing both French and Italian Renaissance sculpture. Working for many years in collaboration with the inventor Achille Collas, Barbedienne produced bronze réductions of sculptures from the Antique using a pioneering technique which allowed him to reduce works of art to an arbitrary size using a simple mathematical calculation. However, the diversity of his production was even more substantial, as his entry to the 1867 Paris Exhibition clearly testifies.

"BARBEDIENNE F. 30 Boulevard Poissonnière, Paris - Artistic bronzes; mantelpiece sets; chandeliers; statues; groups; artistic furniture; articles in sculptured wood and marble; articles in chased silver and repoussé gold; cloisonné enamels."

The high regard in which Barbedienne was undeniably held was formally recognised in 1850 when he was commissioned to furnish the Paris Town Hall. He received the médaille d'honeur for his efforts, presented to him at the Paris World Exhibition in 1855. A decade after this award, he was made the President of the Reunion of Bronze Makers, a post he held until 1885 and a testament to the lifelong dedication he contributed to his craft.