Pair of Louis XVI Style Bronze Wall Sconces, French Work, Circa 1940

This elegant pair of wall sconces in patinated bronze is conceived in the Louis XVI style, drawing on the classical ornamental vocabulary of late eighteenth-century France. The sconce arms, adorned with delicate candelabra branches, foliate motifs and the characteristic details of ribbon-and-torch or laurel garland ornament, exemplify the restrained Neoclassical refinement associated with the reign of Louis XVI and the great French bronziers of the period. The warm, deep patina of the bronze lends each piece a presence of quiet authority.

The wall sconce — or applique — holds a central place in the French decorative arts tradition from the seventeenth century onwards. It was during the reign of Louis XVI (1774–1792) that the applique achieved perhaps its greatest artistic refinement, with the leading Parisian fondeurs-ciseleurs producing works of extraordinary delicacy in gilded and patinated bronze. The Louis XVI style, with its vocabulary of fluting, ribbon-tying, rosettes, laurel garlands and Greek key ornament, remained one of the most enduring and beloved in the French decorative tradition. Throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, sconces in the Louis XVI manner continued to be produced for the grand interiors of Parisian hôtels particuliers, luxury hotels and country châteaux.

This pair would make a distinguished addition to virtually any interior — a dining room, salon, bedroom, corridor or entrance hall — where they would provide both ambient illumination and a powerful decorative statement. Their classical ornament and refined bronze patina ensure harmonious dialogue with period-furnished interiors as well as more contemporary settings seeking a note of historical French elegance. An essential element of the well-composed French interior.