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RICHARD REDDING ANTIQUES |
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RICHARD REDDING ANTIQUES |
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A very fine pair of Empire gilt and patinated bronze candlesticks attributed to Claude Galle, each with a gadrooned and foliate cast banded vase-shaped nozzle on a circular tapering patinated bronze stem headed by four gilt lion head masks flanked above and below by gilt foliate bands, the stem terminated by a stiff leaf ring above four pairs of lion paw feet on a stepped and circular foliate banded base Paris, date circa 1805-10 Height 28 cm. each. Literature: Hans Ottomeyer and Peter Pröschel, “Vergoldete Bronzen”, 1986, p. 327, pl. 5.1.8, illustrating two very similar candlesticks, by Claude Galle in the Grand Trianon, (each with slightly differing vase-shaped nozzles to one another but supplied by Galle as a pair to the Grand Trianon, priced at 45 francs for which he only received 42 francs). Jean-Pierre Samoyault, “Pendules et bronzes d’ameublement entrés sous le Premier Empire; Catalogue des Collections de Mobilier, Musée National du Château de Fontainebleau”, 1989, p. 177, no. 158, pl. 626 and 1165 C, illustrating two examples from three pairs of similarly shaped candlesticks by Galle made for the Château de Fontainebleau. These superb candlesticks can be attributed to the eminent bronzier Claude Galle (1759-1815) on account of their similarity with the pair of candlesticks by him delivered to the Grand Trianon and three pairs to Fontainebleau (described by Ottomeyer and Pröschel and Samoyault, above). As here the pair in the Grand Trianon have a circular tapering stem terminated by pairs of lion paw feet on a very similarly designed base and though the vase-shaped nozzles are of similar form those in the Trianon have a distinct gadrooned lower body. The comparable candlesticks at Fontainebleau also have similarly shaped stems terminated by pairs of lion paw feet but in place of the lion head masks they have either stars or rosettes and also have bobeche-shaped sockets and a slightly different foliate decoration around their bases. Those with star decorations were recorded in the Fontainebleau record books in 1804 and 1805. The first were supplied on 19th November 1804 and described as ‘deux pairs [flambeaux dorés or mat] à étoiles’, priced at 152 francs. The next described as ‘une pair de flambeaux à étoiles, ciselé et doré or mat 84’.were delivered on 15th July 1805. In 1807, two pairs were in the salon of the apartment of the Empress’s lady-in-waiting and then in 1810 in the bedrooms of the pavillon du Tibre. In 1807 a third pair of the same model but of gilt copper and bronze was also recorded as being in the lady-in-waiting’s bedroom. The pair with rosettes in place of the stars were recorded in 1810 in the salon du concierge in the pavillon du Tibre. |