Skip to main content
Items Similar to Claude Galle (1759-1815) Pair of French Directoire Urns or Vases Bronze Ormolu
Claude Galle - Pair of Directoire ormolu urns circa 1800
Claude Galle - Pair of Directoire ormolu urns circa 1800
18th Century Pair of Large Italian Neoclassical Gilt Bronze Vases
18th Century Pair of Large Italian Neoclassical Gilt Bronze Vases
Pair of French Charles X Ormolu and Bronze Campagna Urns
Pair of French Charles X Ormolu and Bronze Campagna Urns
French 19th Century Louis XVI Style Breche Verte d Egypte and Ormolu Urns
French 19th Century Louis XVI Style Breche Verte d Egypte and Ormolu Urns
Louis XVI Style Gilt Bronze and Granite Urns, Pair
Louis XVI Style Gilt Bronze and Granite Urns, Pair
Pair of Late 19th Century Vases in Marble and Gilt Bronze
Pair of Late 19th Century Vases in Marble and Gilt Bronze
Video Loading
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 18

Claude Galle (1759-1815) Pair of French Directoire Urns or Vases Bronze Ormolu

$7,721.94per set
£5,792.87per set
€6,500per set
CA$10,691.59per set
A$11,619.92per set
CHF 6,227.22per set
MX$141,086.48per set
NOK 78,178.91per set
SEK 72,499.06per set
DKK 49,517.94per set

About the Item

Pair of bronze and marble urns from the Directory 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 extend long spiral arms. They rest on a sea-green and red marble base adorned with gilded bronze Hermes heads. This model with spiral arms has been attributed to bronzesmith 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 bronzesmiths and engraver-casters of the late Louis XVI period and the Empire, Claude Galle was born in Villepreux, near Versailles. He served his apprenticeship in Paris with foundryman Pierre Foy and married his daughter in 1784. In 1786 he became master smelter. After his father-in-law's death in 1788, Galle took over his workshop and quickly transformed it into one of the most prestigious, employing some 400 craftsmen. 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, gave him numerous commissions. Galle collaborated with many excellent craftsmen, 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, 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 weld on one of the spiral arms. They are completely authentic and have never been restored or modified. Dimensions H 35 cm Base 9 x 9 cm
  • Attributed to:
    Claude Galle (Maker)
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 13.78 in (35 cm)Width: 3.55 in (9 cm)Depth: 3.55 in (9 cm)
  • Sold As:
    Set of 2
  • Style:
    Directoire (Of the Period)
  • Materials and Techniques:
    Bronze,Marble
  • Place of Origin:
    France
  • Period:
    Late 18th Century
  • Date of Manufacture:
    circa 1795
  • Condition:
    Wear consistent with age and use. Minor fading.
  • Seller Location:
    Pistoia, IT
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU10131246476562

More From This Seller

View All
Rare pair of Neoclassical Alabaster and Scagliola Urns Florence 18th century
Located in Pistoia, IT
Pair of neoclassical alabaster and polychrome scagliola urns, Florentine workshop, last quarter del XVIII secolo. Provenance: dukes of Fitz-James and heirs. This rare pair of neocl...
Category

Antique Late 18th Century Italian Neoclassical Revival Urns

Materials

Alabaster

Rare pair of Neoclassical Alabaster and Scagliola Urns Florence 18th century

Rare pair of Neoclassical Alabaster and Scagliola Urns Florence 18th century

$15,443
Imponente Coppia di Candelabri Portacero Legno Dorato XVIII secolo
Located in Pistoia, IT
Imponenente coppia di porta ceri in legno scolpito e dorato a foglia, Italia, XVIII secolo. Ottimo stato di conservazione, anche la doratura originale è molto ben conservata. Misu...
Category

Antique 18th Century Italian Louis XVI Candlesticks

Materials

Wood

Imponente Coppia di Candelabri Portacero Legno Dorato XVIII secolo

Imponente Coppia di Candelabri Portacero Legno Dorato XVIII secolo

$1,900 / set
Louis XVI Clock in Gilt Bronze and Marble "Philibert à Paris" 18th century
Located in Pistoia, IT
Exceptional late 18th-century Louis XVI period mantel clock, modeled by court bronze worker Brécourt in collaboration with Parisian watchmaker Antoine-Marie Philibert. The first mo...
Category

Antique Late 18th Century French Louis XVI Mantel Clocks

Materials

Marble, Bronze

Louis XVI Clock in Gilt Bronze and Marble "Philibert à Paris" 18th century

Louis XVI Clock in Gilt Bronze and Marble "Philibert à Paris" 18th century

$8,909
Gustave de Bruyn Glazed Ceramic and Gilt Bronze Vase Art Deco France XX
By Gustave De Bruyn
Located in Pistoia, IT
Beautiful French Art Deco glazed ceramic vase with gilded bronze mount bearing the mark of potter Gustave de Bruyn in Fives-Lille. Antoine Gustave De Bruyn, called Gustave, (Dec. 9, ...
Category

Early 20th Century French Art Deco Vases

Materials

Bronze

Gustave de Bruyn Glazed Ceramic and Gilt Bronze Vase Art Deco France XX

Gustave de Bruyn Glazed Ceramic and Gilt Bronze Vase Art Deco France XX

$712
Early 17th Italian Renaissance Box Set Ebony, Gilded Bronze and Gemstones
Located in Pistoia, IT
Rare and valuable ebony-plated domed case with rich gilt bronze decoration and central jasper medallion. Italian Renaissance manufacture from the early 17th century. The production...
Category

Antique Early 17th Century Italian Renaissance Decorative Boxes

Materials

Bronze

Early 17th Italian Renaissance Box Set Ebony, Gilded Bronze and Gemstones

Early 17th Italian Renaissance Box Set Ebony, Gilded Bronze and Gemstones

$5,345
Antonio Salviati Amphora in Murano Glass, Gold and Enamels 19th century
By Antonio Salviati
Located in Pistoia, IT
Gold and enamel Murano glass amphora, Antonio Salviati manufacture, second half of the 19th century. In 1859 at the headquarters in Dorsoduro, Venice at number 731 the firm "Salviat...
Category

Antique 19th Century Italian Renaissance Revival Glass

Materials

Glass

Antonio Salviati Amphora in Murano Glass, Gold and Enamels 19th century

Antonio Salviati Amphora in Murano Glass, Gold and Enamels 19th century

$1,425

You May Also Like

Claude Galle - Pair of Directoire ormolu urns circa 1800
By Claude Galle
Located in GRENOBLE, FR
A fine pair of ormolu amphora-shaped urns standing on marble pedestals, late 18th century or Empire period circa 1800. High end production attributed to French bronze maker Claude Ga...
Category

Antique Early 19th Century French Empire Urns

Materials

Carrara Marble, Ormolu

Claude Galle - Pair of Directoire ormolu urns circa 1800

Claude Galle - Pair of Directoire ormolu urns circa 1800

$11,167 / set
18th Century Pair of Large Italian Neoclassical Gilt Bronze Vases
Located in IT
18th century Pair of Large Italian Neoclassical Gilt Bronze Vases The pair of neoclassical vases was made in Italy in the end of 18th ce...
Category

Antique Late 18th Century Italian Neoclassical Vases

Materials

Bronze

18th Century Pair of Large Italian Neoclassical Gilt Bronze Vases

18th Century Pair of Large Italian Neoclassical Gilt Bronze Vases

$30,887
Pair of French Charles X Ormolu and Bronze Campagna Urns
Located in Queens, NY
Pair of French Charles X ormolu mounted patinated bronze Campagna urns set with medallions on plinth bases. (mid 19th Cent) (PRICED AS Pair)
Category

Antique 19th Century French Charles X Urns

Materials

Bronze, Ormolu

Pair of French Charles X Ormolu and Bronze Campagna Urns

Pair of French Charles X Ormolu and Bronze Campagna Urns

$24,000 / set
French 19th Century Louis XVI Style Breche Verte d Egypte and Ormolu Urns
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A most elegant and uniquely shaped French 19th-century Louis XVI st. Brèche Verte d'Egypte marble and ormolu urns. Each urn is raised by a square marble base below an ormolu support ...
Category

Antique 19th Century French Louis XVI Urns

Materials

Marble, Ormolu

French 19th Century Louis XVI Style Breche Verte d Egypte and Ormolu Urns

French 19th Century Louis XVI Style Breche Verte d Egypte and Ormolu Urns

$27,800 / set
Louis XVI Style Gilt Bronze and Granite Urns, Pair
Located in Astoria, NY
Pair of Louis XVI Style Gilt Bronze Mounted Granite Urns, late 19th century, each of baluster form with laurel twig entwined handles, acorn finials, leaf capped bodies on square plin...
Category

Antique Late 19th Century French Louis XVI Urns

Materials

Granite, Bronze

Louis XVI Style Gilt Bronze and Granite Urns, Pair

Louis XVI Style Gilt Bronze and Granite Urns, Pair

$2,350
Pair of Late 19th Century Vases in Marble and Gilt Bronze
Located in Paris, FR
Pair of green marble “vert de mer” baluster-shaped vases. They are richly decorated with gilt bronze Louis XV-style Rocaille, foliage, flowers, and seeds that wind up around the paun...
Category

Antique 1880s French Louis XV Vases

Materials

Marble, Bronze

Pair of Late 19th Century Vases in Marble and Gilt Bronze

Pair of Late 19th Century Vases in Marble and Gilt Bronze

$11,761 / set