A Pair of Orientalist Patinated-Bronze Figural Torchères

Description

A Pair of Orientalist Patinated-Bronze Figural Torchères, Entitled ‘Les Deux Indiens’. Cast by Ferdinand Barbedienne, Paris, From the Models by François-Christophe-Armand Toussaint (1806-1862).

Signed ‘Ad. TOUSSAINT.1850’, ‘F. BARBEDIENNE. FONDEUR.’ and ‘REDUCTION MECANIQUE / A.COLLAS / BREVETE’

Fitted for electricity.

France, Circa 1870.

The plaster models of these Orientalist figures were first shown at the Paris Salon of 1847 (n° 2161 & 2162). Their noble resolve is captured by their downcast eyes, and they were complimented at the time for capturing the pathos of a vanquished people. They were commissioned in life-size bronze by the French state, cast by the Eck et Durand foundry and shown at the Paris Salon of 1850 (n° 3599). Today they remain at the Ministre de l’Intérieur at the Elysée Palace. They were added to the inventory of the Mobilier National in 1990 (GML 10258/1 et 2).

https://collection.mobilier-national.fr/objet/GML-10258-001

Following their success at the Salon, Toussaint capitalised on their popularity and licensed the reproduction rights to the Graux-Marly and Barbedienne foundries. The Barbedienne foundry employed the mechanical reduction technique of A. Collas to produce reduced versions of 112 and 70 cm high.

F. Barbedienne ‘Catalogue des bronzes d’art Barbedienne’, Paris 1911.

These figures demonstrate the remarkable vision and talent of Toussaint who received the Médaille de la Légion d’Honneur in 1852, most probably as a direct result of the present models.