A PAIR OF MONUMENTAL FRENCH CAST IRON URNS AND PEDESTALS, AFTER A DESIGN BY CLAUDE BALLIN 1615 - 1678, 19th century, after the originals situated in the Garden of Versaille, each of classical design, with raised side handles, the bodies with sunmask, above a continuous row of portrait roundles, filled with individual classical figures, on acanthus cast circular feet and rectangular pedestals with stepped base. Possibly the work of the Val d'Osne Foundry. Each c.225cm tall in totalAs the goldsmith of the Kings and king of goldsmiths, Claude Ballin undeniably contributed to the greatness of Versailles and Louis XIV.The firm Val d’Osne was founded in 1835 by J.P.V. André and based at the Val d’Osne in the Haute-Marne. By 1850’s they had achieved international recognition and exhibited at the Great Exhibition of 1851. In the London 1857 exhibition they exhibited a large bronze fountain cast with swans and classical figures which further increased their reputation. Many of the best sculptors in Paris were commissioned by André including Carrier-Belleuse, Pradier and Delaplanche.