Gilt and Blue-Lacquered Bronze Chandelier with Twelve Arms
Attributed to Claude Galle (1759–1815)
France, Charles X period, circa 1825
Gilt and lacquered bronze, cut crystal
Dimensions: H. 120 cm × Diam. 70 cm
This majestic chandelier, richly adorned with twelve foliate scrolling branches, exemplifies the refined decorative arts of the late Empire and early Restoration periods. At its center sits a putto on a celestial globe, symbolizing harmony and inspiration, holding a lyre and a laurel wreath, emerging from a basket of flowers.
Crowned with royal diadems and embellished with crystal drops, garlands, and pendants, the piece combines sculptural boldness with poetic allegory. The use of blue lacquered bronze is especially distinctive and rare.
This chandelier is attributed to Claude Galle, one of the most prominent bronziers of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, whose workshop supplied pieces to the Imperial court and royal palaces.
📚 Comparative literature:
– M. Shapiro, “Monsieur Galle, Bronzier et Doreur,” The J. Paul Getty Museum Journal, 1978–1979
– H. Ottomeyer & P. Pröschel, Vergoldete Bronzen, vol. I, Munich, 1986
– J. Bourne & V. Brett, The Art of Lighting, Paris, 1992
– M.-F. Dupuy-Baylet, Time, Fire, Light, Dijon, 2010
