Ferdinand Levillain 1837-1905 A pair of Néo-Grec gilt and patinated bronze Amphora urns, Paris, mid-19th century

the front with a portrait of Ariadne and Bacchus, and decorated in the round with bacchanalian harvest scenes, each signed F. LEVILLAIN / SCULPTEUR, and engraved F. BARBEDIENNE

The source of inspiration for the design of the present lot comes from the Grecian antique, giving birth to new decorative influences and trends that became fashionable in Europe during the third quarter of the 19th century.

Ferdinand Levillain (1837-1905) exhibited at the Paris Salon from 1861. He was awarded a Silver Medal at the 1889 Paris Exposition Universelle, and was made by the French state Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur in 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.