A fabulous pair of patinated bronze two-handled urns, cast by Henri Luppens after the model by Claude Ballin in Louis XIV style, early 20th century.
These urns are after one of thirteen different pairs of urns of larger size made for the marble parapets separating the Parterre du Nord from the Parterre du Midi at Versailles, where they are still in position. Claude Ballin (1615-1678), goldsmith to Louis XIV, was commissioned to design the ensemble which were then modelled by Legendre, Magniere, Tuby and Angulier and cast by Duval after 1665. Several of Ballin’s drawings for the Versailles vases are in the Bibliothèque Nationale. Later in the 19th century, the Versailles urns were copied in various mediums and in reduced sizes by foundries such as Durenne, Dugel, A. Beurdeley, Barbezat et Cie ,Barbedienne and H Luppens
Height 24 3/4” (63cm)
Width 15 3/4” (40cm)
Depth 12 1/4” (31cm)
Brussels
Circa 1900