A set of four bronze and gilt-bronze seven light candelabra attributed to Claude Galle (1759-1815) Empire, circa 1810

each in the form of a standing vesta in drapery with a ribbon-tied laurel wreath supporting an amphora-shaped vase issuing fruit, oak leafs and wheatsheaves and a candle-nozzle with four scrolled arms in the form of hunting horns supporting a griffin terminating in a foliate cast and scrolled tail, supporting a candle-nozzle interposed by a winged cherub holding a flaming urn issuing a further tasselled fruiting branch on a stepped octagonal base, the front and the rear with the seated Earth-Goddess Cybele flanked by lions and a flaming candelabrum on the canted corners, each demi-lune projecting side with a seated winged female sphinx, the base with a running, alternating band of oak leaves and acorns, on flattened bun feet

Almost certainly Stéphanie de Beauharnais, Grand-Duchess of Baden (1784-1860);
Thence by descent to a European princely family

In overall very good original condition. Two ropes and tassles have been re-placed. The ropes have been re-soldered to the hands of the female figures. One griffin on one candelabra has been re-soldered. Four drip pans are missing but can easily be re-placed. The acanthus-scrolled tail of one griffin has been re-soldered. One wheat sheaf on one candelabra has been re-soldered. One wheat sheaf on another candelabra is missing. A most unusual and magnificent set with superb quality bronzes.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Comparative Literature:
Jean-Pierre Samoyault, Musée National du château de Fontainebleau: Pendules et bronzes d'ameublement entrés sous le Premier Empire, Paris, 1989, p. 157, cat. 135.
Hans Ottomeyer, Peter Pröschel, Vergoldete Bronzen, Vol. I, Munich, 1986, p. 365, fig. 5.12.11.
Denise Ledoux-Lebard, Le Grand Trianon Meubles et objets d'art, Paris, 1975, p. 62.
Arcadi Gaydamak, Russian Empire, Moscow-Paris, 2000, p. 177.

In view of their illustrious provenance, spectacular scale, superb quality, unrecorded and sumptuous design, the current set of four candelabra is quite unprecedented. 

The attribution to Claude Galle is based on the various constituent elements of these monumental candelabra that are found in the bronzier's oeuvre. The classically draped maidens are similar to those on a pair of candelabra delivered by Claude Galle (d. 1815) in 1807 for the chambre de l'Impératrice at Fontainebleau. (see Samoyault, op. cit., p. 157, cat. 135). The intricate pierced palmette and anthemion mounts to each corner of the front and reverse of the bases, to the flaming torchieres and to the neck of the amphora vases in the corona are nearly identical to the mounts found on a perfume burner by Galle housed in the Victoria & Albert Museum, London (Museum number: M.577-1911) and a pair of vase shaped candelabra which once formed part of the Napoleonic furnishings of Saint-Cloud but were later moved to the Grand Trianon in Versailles where they remain today (illustrated in Ledoux-Lebard, op. cit., p.62). The body of the Grand Trianon candelabra as well as another vase by Galle (illustrated in Ottomeyer, Pröschel, op. cit., p. 365, fig. 5.12.8) relate strikingly to the amphora shaped vase centering the corona of the present candelabra. Furthermore the distinctive griffins supporting a candle-nozzle exist on a chandelier by Galle now in the J.Paul Getty Museum, Malibu (illustrated in Ottomeyer, Pröschel, op. cit., p. 359, fig. 5.11.6) and on a set of wall lights which were delivered by Galle on 23.12.1809 for the emperor's bedroom at the Grand Trianon (illustrated in Ottomeyer, Pröschel, op. cit., p. 357, fig. 5.10.6). Winged cherubs issuing from acanthus leaf very similar to the ones on the present candelabra can also be found on a pair of vases attributed to Galle sold at Christie's London, 13th November 2003, as lot 108. It is also worth mentioning that the shape of the bases of the offered candelabra with its demi-lune projecting sides and bun feet corresponds exactly with the bases of a pair of candelabra attributed to Claude Galle in a private collection in Paris (illustrated in Gaydamak, op. cit., p. 177) and the base of a clock by Galle (illustrated in Ottomeyer, Pröschel, op. cit., p. 364, fig. 5.12.6). Another hallmark of the celebrated bronzier seemed to have been the use of flaming torchieres as they are not only present on the offered candelabra but also on the perfume burner in the Victoria & Albert Museum, a pair of ewers by Galle which were sold at Christie's New York, 24th November 2009, as lot 251, and on each canted corner of a pair of related candelabra in Saint Cloud which Jean-Dominque Augarde attributes to Galle (see Augarde, op. cit., pp. 69 and 73, fig. 15). The aforementioned candelabra show many of Galle's trademark diverse decorative elements. Finally it is worthwhile to note that the unusual feature of an arched niche to the front and the reverse of the patinated bronze base applied with gilt-bronze mounts closely relates to the base of a vase made by Galle for Schloss Ludwigsburg in 1800 (illustrated in Ottomeyer, Pröschel, op. cit., p. 365, fig. 5.12.11).

With their unusual depth and reflection of the sumptuous frontal decoration to the reverse, these candelabra were clearly intended as a garniture de cheminée.

The present candelabra were certainly made after or at least inspired by designs by the architects Charles Percier (1764–1838) and Pierre-François-Léonard Fontaine (1762–1853) who were the two most influential figures in the field of Empire decoration and furnishing. Official architects to the court of Napoleon, their main responsibility was the renovation of the various royal residences. Their Recueil des décorations intérieures (1812) was an essential handbook of the Empire style.
Various features of the offered candelabra can be found in Percier and Fontaine's designs including the standing vestals, griffins, seated sphinxes, acanthus scrolls, vases and Cybele's crowned head. Two of their related designs are reproduced here in fig. 1 and 2.

A set of four candelabra with similar classically draped female figures but of less elaborate overall execution was sold at Christie's, Palais Abbatial de Royaumont, 19th-21st September 2011, as lot 6, for 265,000 euros.

Claude Galle (1759-1815):
Claude Galle was born at Villepreux near Versailles; during his youth he moved to Paris to begin an apprenticeship under the fondeur, Pierre Foy at rue du Four. In 1784, Galle married Foy's daughter, Marie-Elizabeth; when Foy died in 1788 Galle was required to pay off the elder's debts before taking over the workshop, which he built up into one the finest of its kind. It was also in 1784 that Galle began appearing in the trade registers and he eventually became a maitre-fondeur in 1786. Galle moved the business to Quai de la Monnaie (renamed Quai de 1'Unité) and from 1805 operated from 60 Rue Vivienne, close to fellow fondeur, Pierre-Victor Ledure. As a fondeur and ciseleur, Claude Galle was almost unrivalled; his work has often been confused with that of his contemporary Pierre-Philippe Thomire (1751-1843), with whom he sometimes collaborated. Like Thomire, Galle supplied works for Louis XVI's court and later as one of Napoleon's favourite bronziers and official supplier to the Garde-Meuble also for the Imperial household at Fontainebleau, Compiègne, Rambouillet, the Trianons, Saint-Cloud, and a number of the Italian palaces including Monte Cavallo, Rome and Stupinigi near Turin. Today Galle's work can be found in the world's finest collections including the Musée National de Chateau de Malmaison, the Musée Marmottan in Paris, the Residenz in Munich and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

For more information on provenance and Stéphanie de Beauharnais, Grand-Duchess of Baden (1784-1860) see footnote to previous lot.