Pair Of Empire Torches Claude Galle (1759-1815)

Pair of Empire-style torches known as "aux merveilleuses" in finely chased and gilded bronze, identical model commonly associated with the work of bronzemaker Claude Galle (1759-1815), who supplied this type of model to the Château de Fontainebleau in 1804, featuring a pyramidal shaft surmounted by three busts of women in the Antique style, leaning against each other and wearing a brocade net adorned with an aigrette adorned with a precious stone and a feather (this accessory has been used for social purposes for centuries and across cultures, (This accessory has been used for social purposes for centuries and across cultures, to symbolize authority and high social rank.) The binet is in the shape of a Medici vase with a gadroon underlined by a Greek frieze, the whole resting on a circular guilloché base accommodating three pairs of bare feet. Good condition, beautiful gilding (some usual wear) Dimensions: 27 cm high X 12 cm wide.