Furniture
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 Pair of Champleve Enamel Ormolu Candelabra by Sevin & Barbedienne
By Louis-Constant Sevin, Ferdinand Barbedienne
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...
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19th Century French Napoleon III Antique Furniture
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A Champlevé Enamel Jardinière by Ferdinand Barbedienne
By Louis-Constant Sevin, Ferdinand Barbedienne
Located in Brighton, West Sussex
A Champlevé Enamel and Gilt-Bronze Mounted Jardinière by Ferdinand Barbedienne, the design attributed to Louis-Constant Sévin. This fine jardinière is decorated all over with foliate...
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19th Century French Antique Furniture
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Bronze, Enamel
Extremely Rare Pair of Ferdinand Barbedienne Ormolu and Champlevé Enamel Vases
By Louis-Constant Sevin, Ferdinand Barbedienne
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...
Category
19th Century French Napoleon III Antique Furniture
Materials
Enamel, Ormolu
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 ...
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19th Century French Napoleon III Antique Furniture
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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...
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Late 19th Century French Neoclassical Antique Furniture
Materials
Ormolu, Bronze
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Born in 1821 and dead in Paris in 1888, Louis-Constant Sévin was apprenticed to the parisian sculptor Marneuf. In 1839, he joined the sculptor-modelors Phénix and Joyau, as designer, and designed silver-smith’s objects for famous firms like Denière, Froment-Meurice, Morel and Duponchel. During the Revolution in 1848, C. Sévin joined Morel in London, as workshop manager and designed pieces that Morel exhibited in 1851. Back in France in 1851, C. Sévin went to Limoges and designed models for the porcelain factories of Jouhanneaud and Dubois of which many pieces were exhibited at the Universal Exhibition in 1855. From this date on, he worked for Ferdinand Barbedienne as sculptor-ornemanist until the end of his life. Sévin’s works are considerable, he designed furniture bronzes for the « hôtel de La Païva ». At the London Exhibition in 1862, he was awarded a medal « pour l’excellence artistique des meubles qu’il a dessinés et qui sont exposés par Barbedienne » : for the artistic excellence of the furniture he designed and which is exhibited by F. Barbedienne. He won a second class medal at the Union centrale des Arts décoratifs...
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1870s French Greek Revival Antique Furniture
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H 44.1 in Dm 11.03 in
Fine Renaissance Style Wall-Clock by Sévin and Barbedienne
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A gilt bronze wall-clock decorated with Renaissance style motifs, such as scalloped scrolls, pomegranates, a faun head and putti framing the dial.
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.
Louis-Constant Sévin (1821-1888) designed as soon as 1839 silver-smith’s objects for famous firms like Denière, Froment-Meurice, Morel and Duponchel. During the Revolution in 1848, he joined Morel in London, as workshop manager and designed pieces that Morel exhibited in 1851. Back in France, he worked in 1855 for Ferdinand Barbedienne as sculptor-ornemanist until the end of his life. Sévin’s works are considerable, he designed furniture bronzes for the “hôtel de La Païva.” At the London Exhibition in 1862, he was awarded a medal for the artistic excellence of the furniture he designed and which was exhibited by F. Barbedienne. He won a second class medal at the Union centrale des Arts décoratifs Exhibition...
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Louis XVI Style Gilt Bronze Mounted Porcelain Clock by Sévin and Barbedienne
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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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Louis-constant Sévin furniture for sale on 1stDibs.
Louis-Constant Sévin furniture 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 furniture, although gold editions of this piece are particularly popular. Many of the original furniture 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 furniture by Eugene-Antoine Aizelin, Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux, and Achille Collas. Prices for Louis-Constant Sévin furniture 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.