Orfèvrerie Gallia (Gallia Silverware) was a prestigious line of products and brand created in 1898 by the legendary French luxury silverware house Christofle.
The term Gallia refers to ancient Gaul (the historical name for France), and its distinctive emblem was the Gallic rooster, a national symbol of France.
The great milestone of Gallia was the use and refinement of a pewter alloy and other high-quality metals (popularly known as Gallia metal), silvered through electrolysis. This alloy was very strong, durable, and allowed to be molded into steel dies with extremely complex designs.
The Gallia line served as a true cutting-edge laboratory for Christofle. Coinciding with the famous 1900 Paris Exposition Universelle, the brand became a pioneer of the Art Nouveau movement (and later of Art Deco), moving away from the repetitive classical styles of the 19th century to embrace organic shapes, lines inspired by nature (flowers, insects, fluid silhouettes), and collaborations with prominent artists and designers of the time.
