A very important Empire gilt bronze figural urn and stand by Claude Galle (1759-1815), the crater shaped urn with relief decoration of Neptune holding his trident with his wife, the Nereid Amphitrite, both seated in a cockle-shell chariot drawn by hippocampi. With dolphin handles, the urn mounted upon a square stand ornamented with a wreath encircling the figure of Cupid upon a dolphin.

Paris, date circa 1810

Height with stand 59 cm.

Claude Galle was one of the finest gilders and bronze makers of his day. He was born in Villepreux near Versailles and travelled to Paris to train under Pierre Foy. He married Foy's daughter and eventually took over his father-in-law's modest business, which he built up to employ about 400 craftsmen. He became a maître-fondeur in 1786 and in the same year received the first of many commissions from the Garde-Meuble to supply bronzes for the royal palaces. Though he suffered during the Revolution he thrived during the Empire. He was appointed an official supplier to furnish the Imperial palaces, most notably for Le Palais des Tuileries. He also supplied to a number of Italian palaces at Monte Cavallo, Rome and Stupinigi near Turin. His commissions included many wonderful candelabra as well as highly decorative clock cases. He also gilded exceedingly fine bronze mounts, notably for the royal ébéniste, Guillaume Benneman and worked closely with other artists, notably Pierre-Philippe Thomire, for whom he gilded some of the finest bronzes. At times Thomire and Galle's chasing is so close that they have been confused. Examples of Galle's work remains in many French palaces and can also be found at the Museo de Reloges, Spain, the Residenz, Munich and the Victoria and Albert Museum, London.