Rating and value of Ferdinand Barbedienne's works, sculptures and lighting fixtures

If you own a work by or after Ferdinand Barbedienne, and would like to know its value, our state-approved experts and auctioneers will offer you their appraisal services. Our specialists will carry out a free appraisal of your work, and provide you with a precise estimate of its current market value. Then, if you wish to sell your work, we will guide you towards the best possible arrangement to obtain the optimum price.

Rating and value of the artist Ferdinand Barbedienne

The artist Ferdinand Barbedienne leaves in his wake a very singular body of work, in a neo-Renaissance style. A talented sculptor, he produced numerous works that were particularly prized at auction. Prices for his works are now skyrocketing under auctioneers' gavels. They are particularly prized by French and European buyers. The price at which they sell on the art market ranges from €20 to €100,000, a considerable delta but one that speaks volumes about the value that can be attributed to Ferdinand Barbedienne's works. In 2013, a pair of Napoleon III-period ceramic vases sold for €100,000, while they were estimated at €30,000 to €50,000.

Order of value from a simple work to the most prestigious

Style and technique of artist Ferdinand Barbedienne  

Ferdinand Barbedienne succeeded in reviving the mastery of sculpture  techniques: bronze, ceramics, in order to produce copies of masterpieces to make art accessible to the widest audience, at affordable prices.

Ferdinand Barbedienne, his life, his work

Ferdinand Barbedienne (1810-1892), a French artist, became an important figure in the 19th century art world. He first developed a wallpaper business, then collaborated with Achille Collas to invent a mechanical process for reducing sculpture in the round, for which he filed a patent in 1837. They founded a company to market sculpture reductions.

At the 1839 national exhibition, he received a silver medal for a reduction of the Venus de Milo. Thanks to his growing success, he obtained reproduction contracts for many of the prized sculptors of his day, such as Carrier-Belleuse and Barye. The volume of his reproductions grew as his career progressed, enabling him to exhibit at the London World's Fair in 1851, then at the Paris World's Fair in 1855.

At the start of the Franco-Prussian conflict in 1870, he was forced to cease his activity as an art foundryman and turned to art enamels.

He died in Paris in 1892. 

Ferdinand Barbedienne's imprint on his period

Some of Fernand Barbedienne's works are visible and scattered in various towns in France, but relatively few: the bulk of his production is in private collections. He leaves a considerable legacy in the history of 19th-century art and sculpture.

Recognizing the artist's signature

Not all of Ferdinand Barbedienne's works are signed. This is why, if you think you own a work by or after the artist, it is essential to have it appraised by an expert who will be able to authenticate it.

Knowing the value of a work

If you happen to own a work by or after Ferdinand Barbedienne, don't hesitate to request a free appraisal using our form on our website. A member of our team of experts and certified auctioneers will contact you promptly to provide you with an estimate of the market value of your work, as well as any relevant information about it. If you wish to sell your work, you will also be accompanied by our specialists in order to benefit from alternatives to sell it at the best possible price, taking into account the inclinations of the market.