About this product
Created at the turn of the 20th century, at the time of the famous 1900 Paris Exposition, the Gallia collection takes its name from a tin alloy of enormous importance in its time. With its name harkening back to “Gaul” and the Gallic rooster as its mark and symbol, Gallia Metal put the spotlight on French innovation once more.
This alloy was a milestone in Christofle’s history. Making for high-quality, hard-wearing tableware, Gallia metal had the advantage of being robust and lasting longer.
It could also be melted into steel moulds instead of being hammered into shape. Gallia metal quickly became a springboard of ideas for Christofle.
Collections were produced in bold, modern styles at a time when tableware and the decorative arts, in general, had been proposing the same Louis XVI, 18th and 19th-century motifs in a loop since 1850.
This was the rise of Art Nouveau, which focused on Nature – or a stylised version of it. Following this, the 20th century saw an explosion of new styles, from Art Deco to Modernism.
The Gallia collection gave Christofle’s master silversmiths the opportunity to experiment. As early as 1900, collaborations with extraordinary artists and designers under the Gallia name and Christofle’s aegis made the rooster a symbol of the avant-garde movement, and so it would remain for a century.