Important pair of Greek Revival style lamps by Ferdinand Barbedienne (1810-1892) and Ferdinand Levillain (1837-1905)

Pair of oil lamps in silvered and gilded bronze in the Greek Revival style with a black marble base from Belgium. The shape is ovoid, very sober, the decoration is underlined by a frieze of palmettes, the handles are decorated with heads of bearded men in the antique style and the chiseling of the bronze is brought to the highest degree of perfection. The lamps bear the signature of F.Barbedienne (1810-1892) founder, manufacturer and editor of bronze and created in collaboration with the sculptor Ferdinand Levillain (1837-1905). The pair of lamps has been carefully assembled with electricity and they are surmounted by engraved glass lighting globes.

HISTORY
During the Second Empire, this style, which was called neo-Greek, neo-Pompeian or even Estruco-Greek, was especially evident in the field of porcelain and metal arts, and especially in furniture bronzes. An artist like Ferdinand Levillain remained passionate about classical antiquity all his life. The work of Ferdinand Levillain is represented on this pair of lamps by the richness and refinement of the chasing, the use of a double patina, silver and gold, and the decorations of mythological heads often drawn from his iconographic repertoire.