Object Description
Set of four spelter plaques by Ferdinand Barbedienne
French, late 19th Century
Height 45cm, width 12cm, depth 0.5 cm
This set of four plaques—cast from spelter—were produced by the leading French 19th century metalworker, Ferdinand Barbedienne. Each of the four plaques portrays a water nymph; each nymph displaying a different, complementary pose, and evincing a different feeling and mood. The nymphs are defined by skilfully executed relief casting, the relief not only utilised to delineate their modelled forms, but also a variety of textures. The scenes are after the ‘Fontaine des Innocents’, a marble fountain in Paris. Each plaque is signed to the bottom ‘F. Barbedienne.’