Decorative Objects
French, 1821-1888
Best known for his work at the leading bronze foundry Maison Barbedienne in 1855, award-winning French ornamentalist Louis-Constant Sévin created awe-inspiring decorative objects worthy of the most prestigious houses of European royalty.
Born into a creative family in 1821, Sévin studied design and sculpture under Parisian artist Antoine-André Marneuf at the age of 13. In 1839, Sévin left to collaborate with sculptors Phénix and Joyau and design for famous silversmiths François-Désiré Froment-Meurice and Henri Duponchel. He then moved to London in order to evade the 1848 revolution, where he worked with goldsmith Léonard Morel-Ladeuil to design pieces that were showcased at the Great Exhibition of 1851.
Sévin returned to France that year to design models for Jouhanneaud and Dubois — a porcelain factory in the celebrated Limoges region of France — before commencing what became his decades-long position as an ornamental sculptor with Ferdinand Barbedienne.
For 23 years, Sévin created lamps, mirrors, boxes and more at Maison Barbedienne, which was one of the most revered foundries in 19th-century France, where its proprietor used electroplating to create ormolu. Working alongside chaser Désiré Attarge, Sévin designed Napoleon III-era works that greatly appealed to European nobility, and both kings of Belgium and Holland, Her Majesty the Queen of England, Madame de Païva and the Kremlin all awarded him commissions — this included his work for the final resting place of Prince Albert at Frogmore House in Windsor.
Sévin gravitated toward ancient Greek motifs and his work often mimicked the ornate detailing associated with design in China and the Middle East. An extraordinary cabinet that features Moorish-style arches is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, while his decorative clock designs, such as the neo-Renaissance-style model that earned Barbedienne the Grand Prix in 1878, are especially demonstrative of Sévin’s talent for creating objects with rich cultural significance.
On 1stDibs, find a collection of antique Louis-Constant Sévin lighting and decorative objects.
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Creator: Louis-Constant Sévin
An Exceptional Suite of Champleve Enamel Ormolu Candelabra by Sevin, Barbedienne
By Ferdinand Barbedienne, Louis-Constant Sevin
Located in New York, NY
Illuminating Heritage: An Important "Exhibition" Suite of Four Ferdinand Barbedienne and Louis-Constant Sevin Champlevé Enamel and Ormolu Eight-Light Candelabra/Lamps
This monumenta...
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19th Century French Napoleon III Antique Decorative Objects
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Bronze, Enamel, Ormolu
Extremely Rare Pair of Ferdinand Barbedienne Ormolu and Champlevé Enamel Vases
By Ferdinand Barbedienne, Louis-Constant Sevin
Located in New York, NY
An extremely rare, museum quality pair of Ferdinand Barbedienne ormolu and champlevé enamel vases, circa 1870, certainly designed by Louis Constant Sevin...
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19th Century French Napoleon III Antique Decorative Objects
Materials
Enamel, Ormolu
Antique French F Barbedienne Silvered Bronze Vase with Cobalt Blue Glass.
By Louis-Constant Sevin
Located in New York, NY
An antique late 19th-century French silvered bronze porte-fleur, flower vase. Design by Constant Sevin, made by F. Barbedienne Fondeur, Paris. Footed piece with side handles and plat...
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Late 19th Century French Louis XVI Antique Decorative Objects
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Bronze
An Exceptional Pair of Champleve Enamel Ormolu Candelabra by Sevin & Barbedienne
By Ferdinand Barbedienne, Louis-Constant Sevin
Located in New York, NY
Illuminating Heritage: An Important "Exhibition" Pair of Ferdinand Barbedienne and Louis Constant Sevin Champleve Enamel and Ormolu Eight-Light Candelabra / Lamps
In the realm of de...
Category
19th Century French Napoleon III Antique Decorative Objects
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Bronze, Enamel, Ormolu
Louis-Constant SÉVIN, Ferdinand BARBEDIENNE, Pair of Ornamental Vases
By Ferdinand Barbedienne, Louis-Constant Sevin
Located in SAINT-OUEN-SUR-SEINE, FR
This exceptional pair of vases is the result of the collaboration between Louis Constant Sevin, drawer and designer, and Ferdinand Barbedienne, bronze maker and founder of the famous...
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1860s French Napoleon III Antique Decorative Objects
Materials
Bronze, Enamel
Napoleon III Clock Garniture Designed by Sévin, Cast by Barbedienne
By F. Barbedienne Foundry, Louis-Constant Sevin
Located in Brighton, West Sussex
A fine Napoleon III gilt-bronze and porcelain mounted clock garniture, designed by Louis-Constant Sévin, cast by Ferdinand Barbedienne, The Movement by Japy Frères.
Frédéric Japy ...
Category
19th Century French Napoleon III Antique Decorative Objects
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Ormolu
Antique Gilt Bronze Mantel Clock by Sevin and Barbedienne
By Ferdinand Barbedienne, Louis-Constant Sevin
Located in London, GB
This ormolu clock is an exemplary work by the famous French 19th century metalworker and foundry-owner, Ferdiand Barbedienne. Working with a design made by the acclaimed onamentalist, Louis-Constant...
Category
Late 19th Century French Neoclassical Antique Decorative Objects
Materials
Ormolu, Bronze
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In decorative arts, the "cuir découpé" motif (cut leather) recalls a cut leather or metal piece, wound like stylized volutes. This decorative motif is characteristic of the French Renaissance as showed in the inner decoration of the Galerie François I (1535) at the Château de Fontainebleau. Used by artists on tapestry and engravings, this motif was back into fashion in the 19th century.
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Louis XVI Style Gilt Bronze Mounted Porcelain Clock by Sévin and Barbedienne
By Louis-Constant Sevin, F. Barbedienne Foundry
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This beautiful Louis XVI style mantel clock was designed by Louis-Constant Sévin, who was the chief ornamentalist at the prestigious Barbedienne bronze foundry in Paris. The company was directed by Ferdinand Barbedienne, who was a famous French bronzier.
Sévin was widely praised for his ability to design in a variety of styles, including Louis XVI, Gothic, Chinese, Persian, and more, executing them ‘to the point that’, as Barbedienne remarked, ‘connoisseurs mistake their origins’. While versatile, Sévin's designs were consistently ‘sober and pure’ (Barbedienne). This clock is signed ‘LC’, for Louis-Constant.
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H 23.63 in W 11.42 in D 9.06 in
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Louis-constant Sévin decorative objects for sale on 1stDibs.
Louis-Constant Sévin decorative objects are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of metal and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of Louis-Constant Sévin decorative objects, although gold editions of this piece are particularly popular. Many of the original decorative objects by Louis-Constant Sévin were created in the neoclassical style in france during the 19th century. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider decorative objects by Eugene-Antoine Aizelin, Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux, and Maison Marnyhac. Prices for Louis-Constant Sévin decorative objects can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $2,458 and can go as high as $125,000, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $37,343.