19th Century Large Circular Garden Fountain Neptune, Italian Limestone Fountain

The very traditional octagonal garden fountain was hand carved in limestone after an 18th Century original (fountain du reservoir) and can still be seen nowadays in the French villages. This Provencal water fountain has a square paneled central column surmounted by a decorative 8” sphere. It has a decorative panel on two sides and the water exits out of two hand sculpted rosettes. In addition we offer two brass water spout...

An antique French pair of 19th Century Baroque Style Cherubs playing instruments and facing each other, in good condition. The left is playing the flute and the right cherub is playing a violin. Beautifully hand carved limestone statues with wings...

A tall limestone statue of a male torso carved in the Classical style. The details remind of the Italian Renaissance period. The large vintage Italian male torso sculpture is positio...

An antique hand carved Rosso Verona marble sculpture or mask of Zeus with detailed carvings, in good condition. Similar can be viewed at the temple collection in the British museum i...

An antique Italian torso of a Roman male in hand carved Carrara marble and mounted onto a black marble base, in good condition. The Italian décor represe...

A set of antique statuettes Italian Poets left to right Ludovico Ariosto, Torquato Tasso, Dante Alighieri, in good condition. The three busts of thes...

This limestone fountain origins from Italy, circa 1880.

A very fine Italian 19th century carved Carrara marble figural fountain "Jardinière" modelled as a standing Putto and a Satyr supporting a sea-sh...

Wooden Carved Black Forest Garden Fountain Water Spout 19th century A large Black Forest wooden carved water spout featuring "Ruebezahl", which is the mountain spirit of the giant m...

One of a kind French wall fountain in limestone. Typical LXIV style of the 19th century. Amazing and grand fountain for a bespoke luxury lifestyle design. The head stone measures: 7...

19th century French marble and bronze fountain. Seated satyr on marble column with marble shell basin. Later cast stone plinth. Wonderful garden ele...

A Fine and Large French 19th Century Cast-Iron Fountain Figure Modeled as a Nude Maiden Seated on a Rocky Outcrop Holding a Cornucopia in Her Raised Right Hand, by J.J Ducel. Cast-Signed "J.J. DUCEL Me de FORGES, PARIS". Circa: Paris, 1880. A retailer of fine cast-iron ornaments, J. J. Ducel was recorded as supplying cast-iron works through Paris as early as 1810 in the Pas-de-Calais. The factory was sold in 1878 to the Fonderie de la Haute-Marne and all of the firm's models were subsequently bought by the Val d'Osne foundry. However, prior to the firm's sale, critics at the 1867 Paris Exposition Universelle proclaimed that "Ducel is the great manufacturer of works in cast-iron, to whom Paris is so largely indebted for the grace and elegance that supply so many of the adornments of its streets". Ducel, Val d'Osne and other associated foundries produced both bronze and cast-iron statuary. Cast-iron is corrosive, whereas non-ferrous bronze does not suffer the same detrimental effects of weathering and is therefore a superior and more expensive material. Height: 51 1/2 inches (130.8 cm) Width: 22 inches (55.9 cm) Depth: 30 inches (76.2 cm) The foundry of Val d'Osne became highly regarded for the varied nature and quality of its castings in the second half of the 19th century. Commonly known after 1870 as simply Val D'Osne, the company was originally founded by J.P.V. André in Val d'Osne 1835 and developed rapidly, absorbing smaller foundries in the Haute-Marne area east of Paris. The foundry contributed to the London International Exhibition of 1851, where a bronze fountain cast with classical figures attracted much attention. André also specialised in fancy castings and architectural fittings. His Paris adress was at 14 Rue Neuve, Menilmontant. In 1855 the Barbezat & Cie Foundry was born out of the André workshop. In 1867 Barbezat & Cie changed its name to Houille & Cie. Then, in 1870, it changed its name to Société Anonyme du Val d'Osne. With the change of name came the change of casting mark and adress: Fonderies d'Art du Val d'Osne, 58 Bd Voltaire, Paris or simply Val d'Osne. Cast-iron had been in production during the 18th century but its inferior status to the more fashionable and delicate wrought-iron had generally confined its use to architectural work. By the early 19th century, however, rapid developments of the Industrial Revolution combined with the simultaneous burgeoning of a new middle class provided the impetus for a dramatic expansion in its application and in a short space of time a proliferation of iron foundries across Europe and America thrived on the production of everything from inkstands to railway stations. The use of cast-iron for garden ornament became particularly widespread at this time, as the possibilities for its mass-production at a fraction of the cost of bronze made it the material of choice for indoor/outdoor statuary...