Gallia Metal for Christofle Dragonfly vases

About this piece

Two Art Nouveau vases with a dragonfly, made by Gallia Metal, part of the famous Christofle.

This Art Nouveau design was designed in 1889 for the World Exhibition in Paris. It was a success, it has been a famous design by Gallia ever since.

These two vases were both made between 1900-1908. That is early. They are executed slightly differently. One vase has black parts to highlight the decor, the other vase does not. The hallmarks are also slightly different, but manufactured in the same period.

The vases are made of a copper/tin alloy, probably antimony and bismuth were also added. It was patented by the goldsmith Félix Chéron in 1896. Chéron led Gallia until 1908.

With this alloy it was possible to carry out more detailed designs because it could be cast. The layer of silver plating was also quite thick. Gallia used this new alloy to produce a small series of highly decorative items, often made by distinguished artists and designers. These two vases with the dragonfly are a nice example.

Gallia had actually been an independent company within Christofle since 1888. However, the quality of Gallia was very good. When it turned out that the products were very successful, Gallia started producing their products under the Christofle brand. The famous Gallia brand disappeared. This hallmark with the goat in a diamond shape in a square box was later chosen by WMF for their famous hallmark with the ostrich.

The vases both still have the hallmark with the goat, and one of the vases has the earliest and rare hallmark with the rooster, the other has the hallmark for small items, 'Gallia Metal'. The model number '4841' is also mentioned.

In total, Gallia has existed for 70 years, although the quality has unfortunately decreased a lot after 1940. In 1933 they completely lost their autonomy with Christofle. From the late 1920s a different numbering was started, instead of the model numbers 4100-6100, these new numbers started with 0100 to 0462. After 1935 there was no longer compulsory numbering, so the numbering quickly disappeared.

Condition

Good