F.BARBEDIENNE INKWELL - REF No. 189

Product Details

H: 10 1/4 in / 26 cm ; W: 15 3/4 in / 40.5 cm ; D: 7 3/4 in / 19.8 cm

A Fine 19th-Century French Gilt-Bronze and Marble Figural Inkwell
By F. Barbedienne, Paris.

A richly detailed Napoleon III period gilt-bronze inkwell, the central figure cast and finished to the exceptionally high standard associated with the Barbedienne foundry. The composition is centred by a finely modelled gilt-bronze sculpture of a kneeling classical female figure (The Crouching Venus), raised on a verde antico marble plinth. The base, of shaped and moulded verde antico marble, is mounted with an elegant running frieze of gilt-bronze oak-leaf and rosette ornament, and stands on four gilt-bronze acanthus feet.

Flanking the central figure are two lidded inkwell pots, each formed as a classical urn with draped swags, masks, and domed finials, crisply cast and retaining their original gilding.

The sculpture is stamped to the rear of the bronze plinth: “F. BARBEDIENNE. FONDEUR.”, confirming production by one of the most celebrated Parisian bronze foundries of the 19th century.

Circa 1870

France

Maker: Ferdinand Barbedienne (1810–1892)