A pair of Napoleon III neo-grec gilt-bronze mounted onyx vases, circa 1870, attributed to Ferdinand Barbedienne

The rediscovery of new materials and decorative vocabularies influenced by the West’s expanding colonies and trade routes in the East in the 19th century is clearly exemplified by this pair of vases. Indeed, the vases illustrates the ‘goût grec’ style characterized by scrolls, arabesques and grostesque masks, and the popularity of Algerian alabaster - also known as onyx - which was promoted in the second half of the 19th century by craftsmen such as Ferdinand Barbedienne (1810-1892) and Eugène Cornu (1827-1899). 

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 any 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 to which Barbedienne was undeniably held was formally recognized in 1850 when he was commissioned to furnish the Paris Town Hall. He received the médaille d'honneur 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.

For a pair of gilt bronze mounted amphora shaped onyx vases by Barbedienne, see Sotheby's New York, 19th Century Decorative Arts, 29th October 2014, lot 136