Gerard Jean Galle (1788-1846) Pair of finely chiseled and gilded bronze candlesticks circa 1820
An elegant and decorative pair of candlesticks in finely chiseled bronze with period Mercure gilding. Very fine craftsmanship for this magnificent chiseled decoration of palmettes, flowers, and knots.
These rare candlesticks from the French Restoration period circa 1820 are stamped G.F., the signature of Gérard Jean Galle, son of the famous bronze-maker Claude Galle.
Sizes: Height 11.08 Inches. - Diameter of the base 5.11 Inches.
In fine original condition, Mercury gilding of the period. He reported some use to the gilding.
Biography:
Gerard-Jean Galle (1788-1846), was the son of Claude Galle (1759-1815), one of the most important Parisian bronzemakers of the late 18th century and Empire period.
After a brilliant military career in Napoleon's army, Gerard-Jean Galle took over his father's workshop in 1815.
He created exceptional works in bronze, often inspired by his father's originals.
In 1819, at the Exhibition of Industrial Products held at the Louvre Museum, he brilliantly won a silver medal for his bronze clocks and lighting fixtures.
He went on to become a supplier to the French crown and the aristocracy, including the Duc de Richelieu, the Marquis de Martel, and the Vicomte de la Rochefoucauld.
However, the July Revolution of 1830 and the rise to power of the Orleans family damaged his business, and he went bankrupt and died in 1846.
Today, some of his creations can be found in major private and public collections, including those at La Malmaison, the former residence of Josephine de Beauharnais, and the Marmottant Museum in Paris.