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Rare hand candlestick in finely chiseled gilt bronze, the rim decorated with two cherubs framing a fire pot among arabesques and vegetal scrolls, in the center an inset mother-of-pearl plaque, thumb rest in the shape of the head of the goddess Psyche and her butterfly wings, attributed to Claude Galle*, from the First Empire period, early 19th century.
This candlestick is in good overall condition, exceptional quality.
Note: the mother-of-pearl plaque is cracked-broken, some soiling and wear from time on the bronze, see photos.
One of the most eminent bronze casters and metal founders of the late Louis XVI and Empire periods, Claude Galle was born in Villepreux near Versailles. He apprenticed under the founder Pierre Foy, marrying Foy's daughter in 1784. In 1786, he became a master founder. Upon his father-in-law's death in 1788, Galle took over the workshop, which became one of the most important in Paris, employing nearly 400 artisans at its peak. Galle moved the workshop first to the Quai de la Monnaie (later the Quai de l'Unité), then, in 1805, to 60 Rue Vivienne. The Crown Furniture Repository, under the direction of sculptor Jean Hauré from 1786 to 1788, honored him with several commissions. Galle worked with many remarkable artisans, such as Pierre-Philippe Thomire; He supplied the majority of the bronze furnishings to the Château de Fontainebleau during the Empire. He received numerous imperial commissions for lamps, clock cases, and vases for the palaces of Saint-Cloud, the Trianons, the Tuileries, Compiègne, and Rambouillet. He also supplied the Italian palaces of Monte Cavallo in Rome and Stupinigi near Turin. Despite his success, Galle often found himself in financial difficulty, caused in part by his lavish and extravagant lifestyle and also by the inability of some of his clients (such as Prince Joseph Bonaparte) to pay what they owed. After Galle's death, his son, Gérard-Jean Galle (1788–1846), continued the workshop's activities. Today, his work can be found in the world's most important museums and collections, for example, the National Museum of the Château de Malmaison, the Musée Marmottan in Paris, and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.
