€4,500.00
Pair of bronze and marble urns from the Directoire period attributed to Claude Galle (1759-1815).
The two ovoid urns are cast in alternating patinated bronze and mercury-gilt bronze, with finely chiseled handles resembling sphinx heads from which long spiral arms extend. They rest on a sea-green and red marble base adorned with gilt bronze heads of Hermes.
This model with spiral arms has been attributed to the bronze-maker Claude Galle, and the unusual profusion of precious marbles, as well as the richness and refinement of the decorations, confirm this attribution.
One of the most important bronze-makers and founder-engravers of the late Louis XVI and Empire periods, Claude Galle was born in Villepreux, near Versailles. He apprenticed in Paris with the founder Pierre Foy and married his daughter in 1784. In 1786, he became a master founder. After his father-in-law’s death in 1788, Galle took over his workshop, quickly transforming it into one of the most prestigious, employing around 400 artisans. He moved to Quai de la Monnaie (later Quai de l’Unité), then in 1805 to 60 rue Vivienne. The Garde-Meuble de la Couronne, under the direction of sculptor Jean Hauré from 1786 to 1788, entrusted him with numerous commissions. Galle collaborated with many excellent artisans, including Pierre-Philippe Thomire, and supplied most of the bronzes for the Château de Fontainebleau during the Empire. He received numerous other imperial commissions, including chandeliers, figured clock cases, and vases for the palaces of Saint-Cloud, Trianon, the Tuileries, Compiègne, and Rambouillet. He also furnished several Italian palaces, such as Monte Cavallo in Rome and Stupinigi near Turin. Today, his works are exhibited in the world’s greatest museums and collections, including those mentioned above, as well as the Musée national du Château de Malmaison, the Musée Marmottan in Paris, the Musée de l’Horlogerie in Jerez de la Frontera, the Residenz in Munich, and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Both urns retain their original mercury gilding; note an old solder joint on one of the spiral arms .
They are entirely authentic and have never undergone restoration or alteration. Video available upon request.
Dimensions H 35cm Base 9 x 9 cm
Chiti Stefano, cultural heritage expert registered in the Register under number 195.
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