Exceptional Pair of Monumental Three-Branch Quiver-Form Wall Lights in Two-Tone Gilt Bronze with Matte and Burnished Finishing
“Model from Marie-Antoinette’s Salon des jeux in the Château Royal at Compiègne”
Attributed to Pierre-Philippe Thomire and to Jean Hauré
Paris, late 18th century, circa 1790-1800
The present wall lights are made of finely chased gilt bronze with matte and burnished finishing, in two shades of gold. Each wall light features a particularly elaborate composition, presenting an arrow-filled quiver with a fluted body that is decorated with a knop with interlacing motifs centered by seeds, and whose lower portion terminates in a seed finial emerging from leaves, which is surmounted by a bouquet of alternating stylized leaves and stems. The stem of the wall light issues the three curving and be-ribboned light branches, whose spirally fluted and leaf-decorated stems terminate in rosettes. On either side, ribbon-tied garlands of flowers and foliage are suspended from a central sunflower in the upper portion of the quiver. The light branches have a reeded stem that is surmounted by bouquets of leaves to which are fixed a conical element with spiral fluting that supports the round basin whose undersides are adorned with friezes of interlacing patterns and beads, and whose circumferences are decorated with bead friezes and gadrooning. The finely chased nozzle is surmounted by a drip pan decorated with a frieze of beads.
The lavish design of the present spectacular pair of monumental wall lights is based on a model that was created for Marie-Antoinette’s Salon de Jeux in the Château de Compiègne. In 1787 the Parisian bronze caster Jean Hauré delivered six wall lights of the present model to the queen. The preliminary models, in wax and wood, were executed by Jean Martin; they were then cast by Etienne-Jean or Pierre-Auguste Forestier. Lastly, the chasing and mounting of the wall lights were done by Pierre-Philippe Thomire.
Of these three pairs, two bearing the crowned CP mark, are still in the collection of the Château de Compiègne (see the exhibition catalogue Louis XVI et Marie-Antoinette à Compiègne, Musée National du Château de Compiègne, 2006-2007, RMN, Paris p. 188-189, catalogue n° 34). The third example is today part of the Rothschild collection in Waddesdon Manor. The initial model, identified by Pierre Verlet, which was used to cast all the others, and which cost the substantial sum of 1,000 livres, was deposited in the Garde-Meuble at the time of the Revolution, probably for the purpose of casing further examples. It was no doubt this initial model that was used to produce the two pairs that are today on display in the Wallace Collection in London (illustrated in H. Jacobsen, Gilded Interiors, Parisian Luxury & the Antique, London, 2017, p. 102-104), as well as the present pair of wall lights.
Pierre-Philippe Thomire (1757 - 1843)
Pierre-Philippe Thomire was the most important Parisian bronzier of the last quarter of the 18th century and the first decades of the following century. Early on in his career he worked for Pierre Gouthière, ciseleur-fondeur du roi, and toward the mid-1770’s began working with Louis Prieur. He later became one of the bronziers attached to the Manufacture Royale de Sèvres, creating the bronze mounts for most of the important creations of the day. After the Revolution, he purchased the stock of Martin-Eloi Lignereux, thus becoming the most important suppliers of furniture bronzes for châteaux and Imperial Palaces. In addition, he worked for a wealthy private clientele, both French and foreign, including several of Napoleon’s Marshals. Thomire retired in 1823.
Jean Hauré
A Parisian bronze caster who was active from 1774 to 1796.
Rare Gilt and Patinated Bronze Mantel Clock
“The African Huntress”
Attributed to Jean-Simon Deverberie
The round white enamel dial indicates the Roman numeral hours and the Arabic numeral fifteen-minute intervals by means of two Breguet hands in blued steel. It is housed in a chased and gilt and patinated bronze case. The bezel is adorned with delicate stylized and bead friezes. The clock is surmounted by a magnificent female figure – a seated black huntress who is wearing a tunic and a feather loincloth, with a quiver containing feathered arrows slung across her chest. Her curly hair is held in place by a silvered headband and her glass eyes are naturalistic. She is wearing necklaces, rings and ankle bracelets; in her right hand she holds an arrow and in her left, a bow. Her left foot rests upon a turtle with a finely chased shell. On the opposite side, a seated lioness turns toward the huntress. The high, sloping and molded architectural base is decorated with ribbon-tied flower and leaf garlands, a bead frieze and an applied scene depicting young cherubs who are hunting and fishing. The clock is raised upon six finely chased feet.
Black figures were rarely used as a decorative theme in French and European horology before the late 18th century. It was not until the end of the Ancien Régime, and precisely the last decade of the 18th century and the early years of the following century, that the first “au nègre” or “au sauvage” clocks appeared. They echoed a philosophical current that was developed in several important literary and historical works, including Paul et Virginie by Bernardin de Saint-Pierre (published in 1787, it depicts the innocence of Man), Atala by Chateaubriand (which restores the Christian ideal), and particularly Daniel Defoe’s 1719 masterpiece, Robinson Crusoe. The original drawing of the present clock, entitled “L’Afrique”, was registered by Parisian chaser-caster Jean-Simon Deverberie in the year VII (illustrated in Dominique and Pascal Flechon, “La pendule au nègre”, in Bulletin de l’association nationale des collectionneurs et amateurs d’horlogerie ancienne, Spring 1992, n° 63, p. 32, photo n° 2).
Among the known identical clocks one model, whose dial is signed “Gaulin à Paris”, is pictured in H. Ottomeyer and P. Pröschel, Vergoldete Bronzen, Die Bronzearbeiten des Spätbarock und Klassizismus, Band I, Munich, 1986, p. 381, fig. 5.15.25. A second model, featuring variations including the fact that the figure stands on an arch, is illustrated in P. Kjellberg, Encyclopédie de la pendule française du Moyen Age à nos jours, Paris, 1997, p. 350. One further example, whose dial is signed “Ridel”, is in the Musée François Duesberg in Mons (illustrated in the exhibition catalogue “De noir et d’or, Pendules « au bon sauvage”, Musées Royaux d’Art et d’Histoire, Brussels, 1993).
Jean-Simon Deverberie (1764 - 1824)
Jean-Simon Deverberie was one of the most important Parisian bronziers of the late 18th century and the early decades of the following century. Deverberie, who was married to Marie-Louise Veron, appears to have specialized at first in making clocks and candelabra that were adorned with exotic figures, and particularly African figures. Around 1800 he registered several preparatory designs for “au nègre” clocks, including the “Africa”, “America”, and “Indian Man and Woman” models (the drawings for which are today preserved in the Cabinet des Estampes in the Bibliothèque nationale in Paris). He opened a workshop in the rue Barbette around 1800, in the rue du Temple around 1804, and in the rue des Fossés du Temple between 1812 and 1820.
Rare Gilt and Patinated Bronze Mantel Clock
“The African Huntress”
Movement signed by Joseph Mignolet
Case Attributed to Jean-Simon Deverberie (1764-1824)
Paris, Directory-Consulate period, circa 1800
Bibliography:
Dominique and Chantal Fléchon, “La pendule au nègre”, in Bulletin de l’association nationale des collectionneurs et amateurs d’horlogerie ancienne, Spring 1992, n° 63, p. 27-49.
The round white enamel dial, signed “Mignolet à Paris”, indicates the Roman numeral hours and the Arabic numeral fifteen-minute intervals by means of two engraved or pierced bronze hands. It is housed in a chased and gilt and patinated bronze case. The bezel is adorned with delicate stylized and bead friezes. The clock is surmounted by a magnificent female figure – a seated black huntress who is wearing a feather loincloth, with a quiver containing feathered arrows slung across her chest. Her curly hair is held in place by a headband and her glass eyes are naturalistic. She is wearing necklaces, rings, red earrings, and ankle bracelets; in her right hand she holds an arrow and in her left, a bow. Her left foot rests upon a turtle with a finely chased shell. On the opposite side, a seated lioness turns toward the huntress. The high, sloping and molded architectural base is decorated with ribbon-tied flower and leaf garlands, a bead frieze and an applied scene depicting young cherubs who are hunting and fishing. The clock is raised upon six finely chased feet.
Black figures were rarely used as a decorative theme in French and European horology before the late 18th century. It was not until the end of the Ancien Régime, and precisely the last decade of the 18th century and the early years of the following century, that the first “au nègre” or “au sauvage” clocks appeared. They echoed a philosophical current that was developed in several important literary and historical works, including Paul et Virginie by Bernardin de Saint-Pierre (published in 1787, it depicts the innocence of Man), Atala by Chateaubriand (which restores the Christian ideal), and particularly Daniel Defoe’s 1719 masterpiece, Robinson Crusoe. The original drawing of the present clock, entitled “L’Afrique”, was registered by Parisian chaser-caster Jean-Simon Deverberie in the year VII (illustrated in Dominique and Pascal Flechon, “La pendule au nègre”, in Bulletin de l’association nationale des collectionneurs et amateurs d’horlogerie ancienne, Spring 1992, n° 63, p. 32, photo n° 2).
Among the known identical clocks one model, whose dial is signed “Gaulin à Paris”, is pictured in H. Ottomeyer and P. Pröschel, Vergoldete Bronzen, Die Bronzearbeiten des Spätbarock und Klassizismus, Band I, Munich, 1986, p. 381, fig. 5.15.25. A second model, featuring variations including the fact that the figure stands on an arch, is illustrated in P. Kjellberg, Encyclopédie de la pendule française du Moyen Age à nos jours, Paris, 1997, p. 350. One further example, whose dial is signed “Ridel”, is in the Musée François Duesberg in Mons (illustrated in the exhibition catalogue “De noir et d’or, Pendules « au bon sauvage”, Musées Royaux d’Art et d’Histoire, Brussels, 1993).
Joseph Mignolet or Mignonet
Joseph Mignolet or Mignonet became a Master Clockmaker in 1786, on Saint-Honoré Street in Paris.
Jean-Simon Deverberie (1764 - 1824)
Jean-Simon Deverberie was one of the most important Parisian bronziers of the late 18th century and the early decades of the following century. Deverberie, who was married to Marie-Louise Veron, appears to have specialized at first in making clocks and candelabra that were adorned with exotic figures, and particularly African figures. Around 1800 he registered several preparatory designs for “au nègre” clocks, including the “Africa”, “America”, and “Indian Man and Woman” models (the drawings for which are today preserved in the Cabinet des Estampes in the Bibliothèque nationale in Paris). He opened a workshop in the rue Barbette around 1800, in the rue du Temple around 1804, and in the rue des Fossés du Temple between 1812 and 1820.
Rare and Important Mantel Garniture in Gilt and Patinated Bronze with Matte and Burnished Finishing
“Putti astride the Handles”
Attributed to Pierre-Philippe Thomire
Paris, Directory-Consulate period, circa 1800
The present mantel garniture is made entirely of finely chased gilt and patinated bronze with matte and burnished finishing. It is composed of a central vase that contains the clock, and two lateral vases. The clock has a white enamel dial that indicates the Arabic numeral hours, fifteen-minute intervals and date, by means of three hands, two of which are made of pierced and gilt bronze. The hour and half hour striking movement is housed in a case in the form of a Medici vase. It is made of finely chased gilt and patinated bronze with matte and burnished finishing. The lip is decorated with a frieze of alternating stylized palmettes, oak leaves, and C scrolls; the upper part of the dial is adorned with ribbon-tied flower and leaf garlands; its lower portion is adorned with a mask flanked by outstretched wings; the scrolling handles support two putti who are seated astride the handles and hold leaf garlands that continue over the belly and are suspended from roundels. The lower portion is decorated with acanthus leaves and palmettes; the pedestal is adorned with a knop with stylized motifs and a ribbon-tied leaf and seed torus. It is set on a stepped entablature, which itself is set on a quadrangular base with a double lozenge motif that contains rosettes, palmettes, and facing griffons. The molded plinth features a frieze of lambrequins and water leaves alternating with foliage. The two similarly decorated lateral vases are notable principally for the wide Neoclassical bands that adorn their bellies and depict nymphs and bacchants holding hands and dancing.
The remarkable design of this garniture, and particularly that of the putti sitting astride the handles, as well as the exceptional quality of the chasing and gilding, are characteristic of the finest Parisian creations of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. While they have several features that are reminiscent of Louis XVI vases, including the magnificent toruses adorning the pedestals, and the flower and leaf garlands, they also present characteristics of the greatest creations of the Empire period, concerning, for example, the treatment of the chasing and the motifs of the bases. The harmonious and balanced blend of these two styles is typical of the transition period, in which the artistic and decorative tendencies came together during the passage from the 18th to the 19th century, that is, from the Directory to the Consulate. During this period, one bronze caster in particular became famous for his talent and his creative genius: Pierre-Philippe Thomire, the remarkable artisan to whom we attribute the present garniture. Thomire’s signature appears on a rare Medici vase made of gilt and patinated bronze, whose lip is similarly treated and whose belly features a comparable classical-style frieze. This vase, which is in the Decorative Arts Museum of Budapest, is illustrated in H. Ottomeyer and P. Pröschel, Vergoldete Bronzen, Die Bronzearbeiten des Spätbarock und Klassizismus, Band I, Munich, 1986, p. 362, fig. 5.12.3.
Pierre-Philippe Thomire (1757 - 1843)
Pierre-Philippe Thomire was the most important Parisian bronzier of the last quarter of the 18th century and the first decades of the following century. Early on in his career he worked for Pierre Gouthière, ciseleur-fondeur du roi, and toward the mid-1770’s began working with Louis Prieur. He later became one of the bronziers attached to the Manufacture Royale de Sèvres, creating the bronze mounts for most of the important creations of the day. After the Revolution, he purchased the stock of Martin-Eloi Lignereux, thus becoming the most important suppliers of furniture bronzes for châteaux and Imperial Palaces. In addition, he worked for a wealthy private clientele, both French and foreign, including several of Napoleon’s Marshals. Thomire retired in 1823.
Exceptional Large Rectangular Plaque in Hard-Paste Porcelain with Painted Trompe-l’œil Decoration Imitating Bronze
“The Offering to Minerva”
Dihl et Guérhard Manufacture, known as the Manufactory of the Duke d’Angoulême
Paris, late 18th century, 1797-1798
Signed and dated: Sauvage in.f. (invenit fecit) Manufre Guerhard & Dihl an 6
Provenance:
– Patureau collection (sold Paris, April 7, 1834, lot 37): “Sauvage (signed), Guerard and Dhill manufactory. Two pictures in the form of a frieze, representing a sacrifice to Minerva, and children at play. These two unique articles merit the full attention of connoisseurs.
-sold Paris, Maître Delestre, Hôtel Drouot, November 15, 1886, lot 31: “Two large rectangular plaques in porcelain from Guerhard and Dihl, decorated with subjects simulating bas-reliefs in bronze painted by Sauvage, representing an offering to Minerva and children’s games”.
– Hector Le Fuel collection, by descent.
Exhibition:
Probably the bas-relief imitation bronze painted on porcelain for the Dihl and Guérhard Manufactory, known as “the factory of the Duke d’Angoulême”, listed under the number 362 at the Salon of 1 thermidor year VI (July 19, 1798) at the Museum Central des Arts (today the Musée du Louvre).
This hard-paste porcelain plaque, very large in size, features a rectangular composition with magnificent trompe-l’œil decoration imitating a low-relief bronze plaque in shades of gold and brown on a white ground, meant to accentuate the impression of perspective and the volume of the figures. The scene is presented as a classical frieze with the statue of Minerva in the center; she is sitting on an altar that is decorated with a ribbon tied torus and several putti. The goddess, shown in profile, is dressed in Roman-style garb; she wears a helmet surmounted by a sphinx and holds a lance in her right hand and a laurel wreath in the other. She is an allegory of Wisdom, Peace, and the Arts. On the ground, which runs the entire length of the picture, are a wicker basket full of flowers, a few roses, a ewer whose belly is adorned with spiral fluting, a brasero with arabesque feet, and children. On either side of the figure there are nymphs, children, and putti in various positions, who are worshipping the goddess. From left to right, one putto is playing a hunting horn, a nymph is offering a flower bouquet to the statue, and a second kneeling putto is placing a vase with applied handles at the statue’s foot. A child is holding aloft a tray of fruits, while, opposite, a putto who is looking toward the viewer holds a bouquet of flowers, a nymph holds a rose in her right hand, while with her left hand she holds the hand of a child with a dove. Another nymph is playing the lyre, while behind her a putto is bending under the weight of a heavy urn it bears on its head. The picture is set in a sculpted and gilt wood frame featuring a frieze of stylized leaves and beadwork; the scene is further adorned with a waterleaf frieze.
This plaque, which is unusually large and is exceptional for the quality of its execution, may be considered one of the masterpieces of the Parisian decorative arts of its time. It also represents the height of the technical, esthetic, and decorative achievements of French manufactories. Beginning in the first half of the 18th century, they sought to compete with their German rivals, and particularly the Meissen factory. The plaque is an excellent example of the collaboration between the painter Piat-Joseph Sauvage, one of the finest artists of his time, and the Dihl and Guérhard Manufactory, which was one of the most famous and innovative of French porcelain manufactories during the period. This association of talents was responsible for some of the most beautiful painted porcelain plaques created in Paris in the final years of the 18th century and the early years of the 19th century. We know of two plaques, made by Dihl and Guérhard and signed Sauvage, that depict Minerva giving a “lesson of folly” and Venus giving a “lesson of wisdom”; they were shown at the Salon of 1800 and today are in the Musée des Beaux-Arts of Tournai. There is also a third plaque that is quite large, though slightly smaller than the present plaque, and is decorated with scenes of putti at play. It was presented at the 1797 Exhibition of the Products of Industry and is today in the Musées Royaux d’Art et d’Histoire in Brussels (see C. Froissart and J. Whitehead, “Le peintre Piat-Joseph Sauvage et la porcelain”, in Les Cahiers de Mairemont, 32-33, 2005, p. 35-39).
As concerns the present plaque specifically, it appears to have been presented by the Dihl and Guérhard Manufactory at the Salon of 1 thermidor of the year VI (July 1798) held at the Muséum Central des Arts. Among several high-quality painted porcelain plaques, there was one that represented a bas-relief imitating bronze, painted by Sauvage (n° 362, fig. 3). Though the plaque was mentioned only briefly with few details given, according to the description it may well be the present plaque, which was subsequently in the Patureau collection in April 1834, and was then offered at an anonymous sale at the Hôtel Drouot in November 1886. It eventually became part of the Hector Lefuel collection and was preserved by his descendants. At the time of the two sales in Paris, in 1834 and 1886, the plaque which formed its pendant depicted “children’s games”, and it is possible that the plaque now in Brussels, which is similar in size, may have been the pendant to the present plaque, and that the two were associated during the first few decades of the 19th century. This hypothesis seems to be corroborated by the fact that the two sales catalogues do not mention them as a pair but refer to them as “two paintings” and “two large plaques”.
Piat-Joseph Sauvage (1744 - 1818)
Was a Belgian painter, member of the Académie Royale in 1781, who became famous for his trompe-l’œil works imitating sculpture. In the 1780s, he participated in the decoration of the interiors of the royal châteaux of Rambouillet and Versailles, creating paintings on several different media, and using materials such as marble, ivory, and porcelain, and taking his inspiration from Greek and Roman antiquity and the classical vocabulary. As of 1797, he began to work with the Parisian Manufactory of Dihl and Guérhard, known as the “factory of the Duke d’Angoulême”, for in 1781 that aristocrat became its patron. He entrusted the direction of the factory to Christophe Erasmus Dihl and the Guérhard couple, who turned the factory into the main rival of the Sèvres Manufactory. The works produced by the factory with the participation of the painter Sauvage, were shown at prestigious exhibitions. Today the extant plaques made by them are extremely rare and generally to be found in prestigious French and international museums.
Rare Pair of Medici Vases made of Lacquered and Patinated Sheet Metal and Gilt Bronze with Matte and Burnished Finishing
Paris, late 18th century, circa 1790-1800
Made entirely of finely chased gilt bronze with matte and burnished finishing and lacquered sheet metal imitating patinated bronze, the vases have an elaborate form that was inspired by the famous Medici vase now in the Uffizi Museum in Florence. The lips are adorned with friezes made up of lambrequins and reserves alternating with acanthus leaves; the necks are embellished with friezes depicting children playing among the clouds, placed between plain burnished bands; The applied handles in the form of half-lyres terminate in scrolling centered by mobile fluted rings; ram’s heads adorn the shoulders of the vases, which are decorated with bead friezes. The lower portions of the vases are embellished with wide acanthus leaf bouquets that alternate with seeded laurel garlands. The pedestals, adorned with knops decorated with wheat sheaves and beadwork, are highlighted by ribbon-tied laurel toruses. The molded quadrangular bases are adorned with stylized friezes with acanthus leaves.
The present pair of vases was inspired by the work of several important Parisian bronziers of the second half of the 18th century, and particularly by the so-called “ram’s head” models created by Pierre Gouthière (1732-1813) for the Duke d’Aumont, who was one of the most famous Parisian collectors of the day (see C. Vignon and C. Baulez, Pierre Gouthière: ciseleur-doreur du roi, Mare/Martin, 2016). Contemporary sources, among them the records of auctions that took place during the early years of the 19th century, mention several pairs of vases that are similar to the present pair. Among them, one pair was described in the sale held after the closing of Monsieur Rolland’s shop specializing in drawings and prints, on March 22, 1830: “76. Vases, Medici form, adorned with a band depicting a frieze of children’s games, scrolling handles, rings, and ram’s heads, pedestal base, chased gilt bronze torus”. A second pair, which may be the present pair, was offered at auction in late 1803: “31. Two vases, Medici form, varnished sheet metal, with low-relief friezes of children’s games, garnished with ram’s head handles and rings, bottoms and leaves, elaborately decorated pedestals and bases in gilt bronze. Total height 17 inches”. Today a small number of identical vases are known; among them one pair was formerly in the collection of Monsieur António de Sommer Champalimaud (1918-2004), who was a Portuguese banker and industrialist; his collection was sold in London in the mid 2000s.
Important Patinated and Matte Gilt Bronze and Green Marble Mantel Clock
“The Meeting of Robinson Crusoe and Friday”
Case Attributed to Claude Galle
Paris, Directoire period, circa 1800
The round white enamel dial, indicates the Roman numeral hours and the Arabic numeral five-minute intervals by means of two blued steel Breguet hands. The bezel is adorned with leaf and bead friezes. The movement is housed in a rectangular case with canted corners that is made of finely chased gilt bronze with low-relief motifs. On the sides, goats standing on their hind legs are eating grapes; the façade is decorated with scenes depicting a despairing Robinson Crusoe under an improvised tent as a storm rages around him; another scene shows Crusoe building a boat near a lemon tree. The corners of the case are adorned with barrels issuing stylized cactuses. On the plinth, which is depicted as a naturalistic terrain, the young native Friday, posing with one knee on the ground, meets Robinson Crusoe, clad in goatskins and holding a parasol in his right hand and a rifle in the other. Behind Friday there is a lemon tree with golden fruit, upon which a parrot is perched. The clock rests on a green marble rectangular base with canted corners, which is embellished with a frieze of alternating stiff leaves and stems. It is raised upon four flattened ball feet.
Directly inspired by Daniel Defoe’s famous novel, which was published in 1719, the present clock is one of the finest and most successful examples of the latter part of the 18th century. Today very few identical models are known. Among them, one example is illustrated in P. Heuer and K. Maurice, European Pendulum Clocks, Decorative Instruments of Measuring Time, Munich, 1988, p. 92, fig. 159. A second clock, with a red griotte marble base, is pictured in P. Kjellberg, Encyclopédie de la pendule française du Moyen Age au XXe siècle, Les éditions de l’Amateur, Paris, 1997, p. 359. A third example, with a marble base, is shown in G. and A. Wannenes, Les plus belles pendules françaises, De Louis XIV à l’Empire, Editions Polistampa, Florence, 2013, p. 307. A fourth clock, with a gilt base, is on display in the Pitti Palace in Florence. Two further comparable clocks, one with an original and unique design, and both with dials signed “Leclerc à Bruxelles”, are in the Musée François Duesberg in Mons (see Musée François Duesberg, Arts décoratifs 1775-1825, Bruxelles, 2004, p. 64-65).
Claude Galle (1759 - 1815)
One of the foremost bronziers and fondeur-ciseleurs of the late Louis XVI and Empire periods, Claude Galle was born at Villepreux near Versailles. He served his apprenticeship in Paris under the fondeur Pierre Foy, and in 1784 married Foy’s daughter. In 1786 he became a maitre-fondeur. After the death of his father-in-law in 1788, Galle took over his workshop, soon turning it into one the finest, and employing approximately 400 craftsmen. Galle moved to Quai de la Monnaie (later Quai de l’Unité), and then in 1805 to 60 Rue Vivienne.
The Garde-Meuble de la Couronne, under the direction of sculptor Jean Hauré from 1786-88, entrusted him with many commissions. Galle collaborated with many excellent artisans, including Pierre-Philippe Thomire, and furnished the majority of the furnishing bronzes for the Château de Fontainebleau during the Empire. He received many other Imperial commissions, among them light fittings, figural clock cases, and vases for the palaces of Saint-Cloud, the Trianons, the Tuileries, Compiègne, and Rambouillet. He supplied several Italian palaces, such as Monte Cavallo, Rome and Stupinigi near Turin.
In spite of his success, and due in part to his generous and lavish lifestyle, as well as to the failure of certain of his clients (such as the Prince Joseph Bonaparte) to pay what they owed, Galle often found himself in financial difficulty. Galle’s business was continued by his son after his death by his son, Gérard-Jean Galle (1788-1846). Today his work may be found in the world’s most important museums and collections, those mentioned above, as well as the Musée National du Château de Malmaison, the Musée Marmottan in Paris, the Museo de Reloges at Jerez de la Frontera, the Residenz in Munich, and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.
Rare Pair of Gilt and Patinated Bronze Ewers with Matte and Burnished Finishing
Attributed to François Rémond
Paris, Directoire period, circa 1795
The neoclassical ewers, made of finely chased patinated and gilt bronze with matte and burnished finishing, have truncated oval bellies. Their upper portions are decorated with a stylized waterleaf frieze; they have wide, spreading necks. Their slightly curved spouts are adorned with acanthus leaves and ribbon-tied oak leaf garlands that frame river-themed male masks. The handles are in the form of magnificent, lightly draped putti who stand on a double curved acanthus leaf. The lower portion, adorned with a bouquet of finely detailed water leaves, rests on a finely gadrooned ring and a plain pedestal that is decorated with a band of cabochon-centered latticework and a torus of slanting cords alternating with beadwork friezes. The quadrangular molded base is adorned with a leaf and seed frieze.
The rare and unusual design of the present pair of ewers, and the quality of its chasing and gilding, allow it to be attributed to François Rémond, one of the most important Parisian artisans of the final decades of the 18th century. The ewers’ design, as well as their handles in the form of nude standing figures, is reminiscent of a pair of chased gilt bronze and Sèvres porcelain ewers that are part of the Wallace Collection in London (see H. Jacobsen, Gilded Interiors, Parisian Luxury & the Antique, published contemporaneously with the exhibition “Gilded Interiors: French Masterpieces of Gilt Bronze”, The Wallace Collection, London, 2017, p. 64-67). A second pair of ewers, whose handles are in the form of satyrs and mermaids, bearing the signature of Pierre Gouthière and the date 1767, are in the Frick Art and Historical Center in Pittsburgh (illustrated in C. Vignon and C. Baulez, Pierre Gouthière ciseleur-doreur du roi, The Frick Collection, New York, 2017, p. 164-165, catalogue n° 4). Today only a few identical pairs of ewers are known. Among them, one pair was offered at auction in Paris in the early 1970s (sold Palais Galliera, Couturier-Nicolay, June 10, 1971, lot 145). A second pair, acquired in March 1934, and bearing the inventory marking “B 248” with a Phrygian cap, is part of the Mobilier national in Paris (Inventaire GML-4510-001/002).
François Rémond (circa 1747 - 1812)
Along with Pierre Gouthière, he was one of the most important Parisian chaser-gilders of the last third of the 18th century. He began his apprenticeship in 1763 and became a master chaser-gilder in 1774. His great talent quickly won him a wealthy clientele, including certain members of the Court. Through the marchand-mercier Dominique Daguerre, François Rémond was involved in furnishing the homes of most of the important collectors of the late 18th century, supplying them with exceptional clock cases, firedogs, and candelabra. These elegant and innovative pieces greatly contributed to his fame.
