Pair of spindle-shaped vases attributed to Claude Galle - Directoire period

Claude Galle (1759-1815).
Pair of spindle-shaped vases.
Ormolu and patinated bronze.
Directoire period, end of the 18th century, circa 1795.

This pair of spindle vases is distinguished by its elegant sobriety typical of the Directoire period. The patinated bronze body of the vase is left entirely smooth except for the ormolu applied handles. Each one presents a finely chiseled satyr's head resting on a neo-Greek palmette. The handles scroll up around a flower to hang on the long neck of the vase decorated with a leafy motif in relief.
As a collaborator of Jean Hauré at the beginning of his career, Claude Galle first gilded some of the best-known pieces of the famous bronzemaker's production before supplying the imperial Garde-Meuble and establishing himself as the main competitor of his famous colleague Pierre-Philippe Thomire. Thus, he participated, among others, in the decoration of the castles of Compiègne, Fontainebleau, Rambouillet, Saint Cloud and the Tuileries.