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Empire Ormolu-Mounted Malachite Ewers Attributed to Claude Galle, Russian, Pair

About the Item

A pair of Empire Ormolu-Mounted Malachite Ewers attributed to Claude Galle, circa 1805, Possibly Made For The Russian Market. Each with an ovoid body applied with an ormolu band depicting winged figures feeding with panthers, the top and base with pierced foliate and palmette mounts, with hippocampus-form handle terminating in a ram's mask, on malachite shaft and square base, minor variations to chasing, particularly to handles. These precious ewers, with their striking and unusual malachite bodies, were likely made to appeal to the Russian market. Malachite is most closely associated with the Russian Imperial Factories of the 18th and 19th centuries, whose highly skilled stone-cutting led to the creation of some of the most beautiful objets d'art. The Imperial administration held the sole right to mine for malachite from the Ural Mountains, so the products of these factories were almost exclusively destined for Imperial palaces or to be given as diplomatic gifts, making them very desirable. These ewers were created using the technique of ‘Russian mosaic,” where malachite is sawn into very thin slices, applied to a stone or metal ground with the veins laid to form pleasing patterns and then polished, making the joins barely visible. By creating malachite objects that call to mind the Imperial Factories of Russia and mounting them with fine ormolu details, the makers of the present ewers deftly balance Russian taste with French refinement. The ovoid form of the ewers with their slender elongated spouts and figural handles are closely related to the oeuvre of the bronzier Claude Galle (1759-1815). Galle flourished during the Empire when he supplied bronzes and ormolu mounts for furniture, clocks and other decorative items to Compiègne, Versailles, Saint-Cloud, the Grand Trianon, and various other Courts throughout Europe. These ewers are similar to Galle's 'maiden' vases and his popular series of ewers, examples of which are illustrated in H. Ottomeyer, P. Pröschel et al., Vergoldete Bronzen, Munich, 1986, vol. I, figs. 5.12.6, 5.12.8 and 5.12.9, pp. 364 – 365 and are also at Pavlovsk, illustrated in E. Ducamp ed., Pavlovsk The Collections, Paris, 1993, p. 179. The vases and ewers all bear exquisitely detailed handles, mostly in the form of winged maidens rather than the more rare hippocampi figures employed on the present pair. Measures: 21 ½ in. (54.5 cm.) high.

Attributed to:
Claude Galle (Maker)
Dimensions:
Height: 21.5 in (54.61 cm)Width: 5 in (12.7 cm)Depth: 6.5 in (16.51 cm)
Sold As:
Set of 2
Style:
Empire (Of the Period)
Materials and Techniques:
Bronze,Malachite,Gilt,Hand-Carved
Place of Origin:
Russia
Period:
1800-1809
Date of Manufacture:
1805
Condition:
Wear consistent with age and use.
Seller Location:
New York, NY
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU919521375932