Antonin Mercie Busts

"Diane de Gabies" French sculpture, late 19th century. Patinated bronze with "Ferdinand Barbedienne" foundry marks. Height: 51 cm. Very goo...

Sculpture in patinated bronze by Ferdinand Barbedienne, 19th century, Napoleon III period. A 19th century patinated bronze sculpture, Napoleon I...

A finely patinated French antique bronze by Ferdinand Barbedienne portraying a a young boy caressing a large goose. The figure is mounted on an a...

Delightful mid 19th Century French Animaliers bronze study of a playful Whippet looking around in an attitude to play with a ball at her feet, with rich brown rubbed to a golden colo...

A very good quality 19th Century Bronze statue of a minstrel player, signed Barbedienne.

Excellent French mid 19th Century Animalier bronze portaiture study of the French Derby winner "Ibrahim", with rich brown lightly rubbed patination and fine hand finished surface det...

A French patinated bronze bust of Ariadne by F. Barbedienne, exemplifying the masterful craftsmanship and artistry of the 19th century. The piece, known for its exquisite "parcel red...

A very impressive 19th Century patinated bronze statue of 'Gloria Victis' with gilded highlights. Raised on a marble plinth. Signed; A MERCIE Stamped; F. BARBEDIENNE Gloria Victis wa...

A bronze figure representing Demosthenes (384-322 BC), a Greek statesman and orator. The sculpture is based on a Roman copy of an original Greek statue. The chocolate-brown patina of...

A French silvered-bronze athénienne by Ferdinand Barbedienne, Paris, last quarter 19th century with a revolving liner, the frieze applied with bucrania suspending ribbon-tied berried laurel swags above a border of bellflowers on a stippled ground above three seated female sphinxes issuing stylised foliage and scrolls on lion monopodia cast with the mask of Hercules, scrolling foliage and anthemions joined by stretchers, raised on a concave-sided triform marble base on a further thin silvered-bronze base, inscribed to the tripod base 'F. BARBEDIENNE' Measures: 103.3cm. high, 41.5cm. diameter; 3ft. 4 3/8 in, 1ft. 4 1/4. This impressive athénienne is a key reminder of the longevity of a particular model and design’s success from Antiquity through to the 19th century and up until this day. Typically known as the ‘Trépied du Temple d’Isis’, this athénienne is designed after the Roman antique originally found at Pompeii and now at the Museo Archeologico Nazionale, Naples (fig.1). From being for example an inspiration for the baptismal font of Napoléon’s son in 1811, this model was the inspiration to many highly skilled makers throughout the 19thcentury such as the Manfredini brothers from Milan and of course the Parisian well-established bronze founder Ferdinand Barbedienne who executed the present example. The Temple of Isis was a Roman temple dedicated to the Egyptian goddess Isis and was among one of the first discoveries during the excavation of Pompeii in 1764. Certainly considered as one of the most elegant examples of antique tripods, the existence of this model was then popularized to the rest of Europe via prints, one of the first being by Giovanni Battista Piranesi in 1779. This type of tripod was also popularised by an engraving in C. Percier and P. Fontaine’s, Receuil de Décorations Intérieures of 1801. Interestingly, there is also a watercolour now in the Musée Carnavalet, Paris, showing this type of tripod displayed at the 1801 Exposition des Produits de L’Industrie in the Louvre. The passion for Greek and Roman Art in the 19th century. The discovery of Pompeii and Herculaneum around the middle of the 18th century gave rise to a new passion for Antiquity and the excavated masterpieces renewed the repertoire of fine and decorative arts and served as models for Neoclassicism. Members of the aristocracy as well as connoisseurs, particularly in England, completed their education by undertaking a ‘Grand Tour’ of Italy and often fell victim to the recently unearthed Greek and Roman artefacts...

An elegant French Grand Tour bronze figure of the Greek Goddess Diana by Marius-Jean-Antonin Mercié, French 1845 - 1916, dating from Circa 1880. The seated and robed Goddess Diana is holding a bow and arrows with her head downcast and raised on a circular plinth. Diana was originally considered to be a goddess of the wilderness and of the hunt, a central sport in both Roman and Greek culture. Early Roman inscriptions to Diana celebrated her primarily as a huntress and patron of hunters. Add a beautiful classical element to your home with this delightful bronze. Condition: In excellent condition with no dings, dents or signs of repair. Please see photos for confirmation. Dimensions in cm: Height 41 x Width 29 x Depth 19 Dimensions in inches: Height 1 foot, 4 inches x Width 11 inches x Depth 7 inches Mercié entered the École des Beaux-Arts, Paris, and studied under Alexandre Falguière and François Jouffroy, and in 1868 gained the Grand Prix de Rome at the age of 23. His first great popular successes were the David and Gloria Victis, which was shown and received the Medal of Honour of the Paris Salon. The bronze was subsequently placed in the Square Montholon. The bronze David...

Bronze vase of balustrades forms a relief of a musical and a shepherdess in an entourage of foliage and birds, resting on a pedestal area of a lezard and a surouris standing over red...