Founded by one-time Parisian wallpaper dealer Ferdinand Barbedienne and engineer Achille Collas, one of the most revered foundries in 19th-century France began with the invention of a revolutionary 1830s-era device that could produce proportional reproductions — large or small — of sculptures. Collas’s machine, which yielded miniature likenesses of antiquities for the interiors of homes the world over, was pivotal to the success of the F. Barbedienne Foundry. The successful firm earned prestigious awards and critical acclaim and created exquisite bronze candleholders, clocks and lamps for a range of wealthy and prominent clients.
The duo first launched their company under the name Société Collas et Barbedienne, and early on, they optimized chemical processes for pigmenting and patinating their bronze statuettes. After Collas died in 1859, Barbedienne forged on alone, and the company’s name changed to simply F. Barbedienne.
Barbedienne employed more than 300 workers at that point, and the Maison created a range of furnishings and decorative objects that featured the integration of marble and ormolu accents. However, with the onset of the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, the foundry was forced to retrofit its molds, and the production of cannons replaced sculptures, furniture and vases.
When Ferdinand Barbedienne passed away in 1891, his nephew and heir, Gustave Leblanc, took over as president, changing the name to Leblanc-Barbedienne. Leblanc expanded production into Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States, carrying on the company's legacy with monumental sculptures, and models and securing production rights for famous statues. Paul-Alexandre Dumas, an Art Nouveau maker and student of Louis Majorelle, succeeded Leblanc until the company's closing in 1952.
Barbedienne pieces had been exhibited regularly in the 19th century and were especially prevalent at Europe’s international expositions and world’s fairs, where they received numerous awards. Today, the Musée d’Orsay in Paris holds dozens of Barbedienne works in its collection, including intricate mirrors, vases and cups created by Louis-Constant Sévin at the foundry. For more than two decades, Sévin created lamps, boxes and more at Maison Barbedienne. Working alongside award-winning chaser Désiré Attarge, Sévin designed Napoleon III-era works that greatly appealed to European nobility.
Other notable artists who collaborated with Barbedienne included Eugene Aizelin, Emmanuel Fremiet, Antonin Mercié, Emile Guillemin, Edouard Lievre, Ferdinand Levillain and Auguste Rodin.
On 1stDibs, find a collection of Barbedienne decorative objects, lighting and collectibles.
Crouching Venus Grand Tour Bronze Patinated Sculpture F. Barbedienne Fondeur
By F. Barbedienne Foundry
Located in Rochester, NY
Grand tour bronze sculpture of the "Crouching Venus" after the antique. Fine patina. 19th century. Ferdinand Barbedienne (French, 1821-1902). not signed . rare. museum...
Bronze
A Monumental French Patinated Bronze Bust of William Shakespeare, after Houdon
By F. Barbedienne Foundry
Located in Queens, NY
A Monumental French Patinated Bronze Bust of William Shakespeare, after Houdon, by F. Barbedienne Foundry, circa 1870. Masterfully and realistically sculpted in solid bronze, this b...
Bronze
$1,545
H 6 in W 5 in D 4 in
Lisette II - Figurative Abstract Bronze Sculpture for Shelf or Table
By Nando Kallweit
Located in Los Angeles, CA
German sculptor Nando Kallweit produces figurative bronze sculptures and reliefs with aquiline and a graceful modern appeal. Kallweit is inspired by seemingly disparate cultures; the...
Metal, Bronze
$1,895
H 12 in W 3 in D 3 in
Hera II - Modern Figurative Abstract Bronze Sculpture for Shelf or Table
By Nando Kallweit
Located in Los Angeles, CA
German sculptor Nando Kallweit produces figurative bronze sculptures and reliefs with an elegant and graceful modern appeal. Seemingly disparate cultures inspire Kallweit; the streng...
Metal, Bronze
$1,900
H 13 in W 9 in D 4 in
Luna - Modern Figurative Abstract Bronze Sculpture for Shelf or Table
By Nando Kallweit
Located in Los Angeles, CA
German sculptor Nando Kallweit produces figurative bronze sculptures and reliefs with aquiline and a graceful modern appeal. Seemingly disparate cultures inspire Kallweit; the streng...
Metal, Bronze
$450
H 1.75 in W 3.5 in D 2.25 in
"Cowrie Shell" (2024) By Tony Hochstetler, Original Bronze Sculpture
By Tony Hochstetler
Located in Denver, CO
Tony Hochstetler's "Cowrie Shell" (2015) is an original handmade bronze sculpture that depicts the shell of a cowrie. TONY HOCHSTETLER is a sculptor of unusual animals and botanical...
Bronze
Horse
By Aga Ousseinov
Located in Long Island City, NY
This bronze sculpture, from 1996, is a powerful rendering of a horse rearing. It is not uncommon to see stallions rearing; it is a tactic that can be used to dislodge a predator, to...
Bronze
$32,000
H 29 in W 22 in D 17 in
Bronze Female Statue "Le Crépuscule" by Emile Andre Boisseau
Located in New York, NY
Emile-Andre Boisseau (French, 1842-1923) Le Crépuscule signed 'E. Boisseau' (on the base) Bronze height: 29 in. (74 cm.) Emile-André Boisseau was a...
Bronze
$232,080
H 98.43 in W 19.69 in
Last Heroic Season Bronze Sculpture Classic Contemporary Mythology
By Margot Homan
Located in Utrecht, NL
Last Heroic Season Bronze Sculpture Classic Contemporary Mythology The sculptures of Margot Homan (1956, Oss, the Netherlands) show a perfect command of the old craft of modelling a...
Bronze
$9,631
H 11.42 in W 32.68 in D 5.91 in
Feline VI by Pierre Yermia - Contemporary animal sculpture, bronze, cat, elegant
By Pierre Yermia
Located in Paris, FR
Feline VI is a bronze sculpture by French contemporary artist Pierre Yermia, dimensions are 29 × 83 × 15 cm (11.4 × 32.7 × 5.9 in). The sculpture is signed and numbered, it is part ...
Bronze
Half-blood Horse, head raised
By Antoine-Louis Barye
Located in PARIS, FR
Half-blood Horse, head raised by Antoine-Louis BARYE (1796-1875) A bronze sculpture with a dark brown patina Signed on the base " Barye " Cast by " F. Barbedienne fondeur " (with th...
Bronze
$40,000
H 18 in W 9 in D 6 in
"Mercury" NYC 1931 Bronze 5th Ave Traffic Light Sculpture American Art Deco WPA
Located in New York, NY
"Mercury" NYC 1931 Bronze 5th Ave Traffic Light Sculpture American Art Deco WPA In the late 1920s, Joseph Freedlander was asked by the City of New York ...
Bronze
Female torso
Located in Täby, SE
This female torso represents the young woman's strength and vulnerability. It´s was conceived in the 70ths and is signed with the artists initials on a thumbprint. Gunnar Knut Nilsson, born 1904 in Karlskrona, died 1995 in Versailles in France, was a Swedish sculptor. Gunnar Nilsson studied watercolor painting and modeling at the Technical Vocational School in Karlskrona in 1918-19 and on his own in addition to working as a clerk at Finspångs Metallwerk. His debut exhibition was in Finspång in 1927. With the help of a local fundraiser, and after the encouragement of Carl Eldh, he traveled to Paris in 1928 to study sculpture for, among others, Charles Despiau and Paul Niclausse. In Paris he socialized with Bror Hjorth, whose former studio he also rented, Carl Frisendahl and Alberto Giacometti. He came to belong to "Le groupe des Neuf'' with Paul Cornet...
Bronze
Lion strucking a wildboar
By Antoine-Louis Barye
Located in PARIS, FR
Lion strucking a wildboar by Antoine-Louis BARYE (1796-1875) A bronze sculpture with dark brown patina Signed on the base with moulding " Barye " Posthumous cast probably by Graux-M...
Bronze
Sold
H 18.5 in W 22.5 in D 14 in
Large Grand Tour Bronze Greco-Roman Uffizi Wrestlers Ferdinand Barbedienne
By F. Barbedienne Foundry
Located in Rochester, NY
Grand tour circa 1860s bronze of the Wrestlers. Rich fine dark brown patina. Marked "F. Barbedienne Fondeur." The Wrestlers also known as The Two Wrestlers, The Uffizi Wrestlers...
Metal, Bronze
Sold
H 21 in W 13.5 in D 9 in
Large and Rare Patinated Bronze Bust of George Washington, by F. Barbedienne
By F. Barbedienne Foundry
Located in Queens, NY
A Large and Rare Patinated Bronze Bust of George Washington, after Houdon by F. Barbedienne Foundry, circa 1870. Very nice quality green patinated bronze bust of President...
Bronze
Sold
H 7.5 in W 5 in D 3 in
Jean-Baptiste Auguste Clesinger, French Bronze Bust of Jesus Christ, Barbedienne
By F. Barbedienne Foundry
Located in Queens, NY
An exceptional French patinated realistic miniature bronze bust of Jesus Christ, 1858 Signed: J CLESINGER. 1858 and F. BARBEDIENNE FONDEUR, with...
Bronze
Sold
H 10.5 in W 5.5 in
Jean-Baptiste Auguste Clesinger, French Bronze Bust of Jesus Christ, Barbedienne
By F. Barbedienne Foundry
Located in Queens, NY
A French Miniature patinated bronze bust of Jesus Christ on a round wood base, 1858. Signed: J CLESINGER. Rome. 1858 with F. BARBEDIENNE FONDEU...
Bronze
Sold
H 13 in W 9 in D 5 in
Jean-Baptiste Auguste Clesinger, French Bronze Bust of Jesus Christ, Barbedienne
By F. Barbedienne Foundry
Located in Queens, NY
An exceptional French patinated realistic bronze bust of Jesus Christ, 1858. Signed: J CLESINGER. Rome. 1858 with F. BARBEDIENNE FONDEUR, with the Red...
Bronze
Sold
H 10.5 in W 5 in D 4 in
An Extremley Rare Silvered Metal Bust of George Washington by F. Barbedienne
By F. Barbedienne Foundry
Located in Queens, NY
An Extremely Rare French Silvered Metal Bust of George Washington by Ferdinand Barbedienne Fondeur, Paris, circa 1880. Signed. F. Barbe...
Metal