Wall sconce (2) - Gilt bronze - Gilded bronze wall sconces

PAIR OF IMPORTANT GILT-BRONZE THREE-LIGHT WALL APPLIQUES WITH GILT-BRONZE CURVED ARMS AND CHISELED BOBÈCHES

France, Rocaille/Louis XVI taste, 19th century
46 cm x 32 cm x 25 cm

Important and refined pair of three-branch wall appliques, made in finely chased and gilt bronze, characterized by extraordinary ornamental richness and a clearly marked Louis XV Baroque-inspired setup.

The composition develops around an elegant central shaft, richly ornamented with acanthus leaves, vegetal motifs, Rocaille elements, and flaming motifs, from which three sinuous, animated arms extend, terminating in broad naturalistic bobèches.

The lateral volutes, strongly curved in their execution, are embellished with foliate elements and small floral motifs, lending the whole piece that characteristic sense of continuous movement and controlled asymmetry typical of the great French decoration of the eighteenth century.

Particularly noteworthy is the quality of the bronze work: the surfaces are animated by extremely fine chasing, with different surface effects, engravings, vegetal veining, and raised relief details.

The central vertical decoration gives the appliques a monumental and scenographic presence.

The gilding, preserved in a suggestive way, shows an antique patina and chromatic variations that enhance the depth of the chasing and contribute to the strong antique quality of the piece as a whole.

The typology, ornamental repertoire, and arm arrangement place them within the great French Rocaille applique tradition of the Louis XV period, a decorative language closely tied to the grand French interior bronzists and to the models of the famous eighteenth-century bronziers; comparable pieces appear in catalogs.

There are on each appliqué 3 heads of mythological animals, for a total of 6.
Flowers and fruit.

A piece of great decorative impact and of particular interest to collectors of French gilded bronzes, historic interior design, and eighteenth-century decorative art.

Provenance: from a private collection.
Material: chased and gilded bronze.
Configuration: three lights each.
Conservation: good, with normal signs of age and use; electrical installation present.
Timewear signs, restorations, re-bonding and repairs present.

They are splendid.
Congratulations to the winner.