F. BARBEDIENNE A PARIS, OROLOGIO A TRITTICO, CON CARRO E AMORINI, FRANCIA 1870 CIRCA

Gilt and finely chiseled bronze triptych consisting of clock and two candelabra in the 'Tous les Louis' taste. The clock is concealed within a tangle of rocaille, molded to resemble a chariot, on which a cherub with torch is seated. White enamel dial signed F. Barbadienne Paris, Roman numerals for hours, Arabic numerals in 5 o'clock for minutes, Louis XVI-style hands, movement with metal suspension, hour and half-hour chime on bell. The carriage: h. 34 cm, w. 27 cm, d. 16 cm, the candlesticks h. 26.5 cm, w. 17 cm F. BARBEDIENNE IN PARIS, TRIPTYCH CLOCK, WITH CHARIOT AND CUPIDOS, FRANCE 1870 CA Ferdinand Barbedienne (Aug. 6, 1810 ; Mar. 21, 1892) was a prominent French brozist. The son of a small farmer in Calvados, he began his career as a wallpaper merchant in Paris. In 1838 he entered into partnership with Achille Collas (1795-1859), who had invented a machine to create miniature replicas of bronze statues. Together they started a business selling miniatures of ancient statues from museums throughout Europe, making the art more accessible and affordable to all. With the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian War in 1870, the company had to switch to cannon casting due to metal shortages, but later resumed the bronzeur business. After Barbedienne's death in 1892, who was buried in Père-Lachaise Cemetery, the company was carried on by his grandson Gustave Leblanc until 1952. Barbedienne worked plaster for Antoine Louis Barye and Auguste Rodin.