Pair of 1920s Rock-Crystal and Amethyst Sconces

About the Item

Baguès main claim to decorative-arts fame is their collaboration, which began in 1919, with the designer Armand Rateau. Today he’s identified with the Art Deco style, and celebrated for his beautiful yet idiosyncratic interiors and furnishings for clients like couturiere Jeanne Lanvin. Less well known today, but equally well known in his own day, were his interiors and furnishings that were inspired by historical styles. These furnishings and interiors were made for collectors of antique furniture and old master paintings, like his clients Lady Baillie, who lived outside London in a medieval castle, and the George Blumenthals, who divided their time among residences in New York, Paris, and Grasse. But much of Rateau's Art Deco work was also inspired by the antiques that he had collected himself. In a photo of his office, one can see 18th century French furniture, lighting fixtures, and old-master drawings. Yet, when working in this idiom, he never failed to give it a personal spin. We attribute the design of our Louis-Louis sconces to Rateau, and their fabrication to Baguès. Typically, Rateau didn't stamp his lighting fixtures. Baguès occasionally did, but only if there was a flat surface to apply it, as there isn't on the silvered-brass armatures of these sconces, which support wisps of glinting rock crystal and amethyst. Yet they reflect both Rateau’s sensibility and Baguès’ ability. That said, we’ve never before seen a sconce or chandelier by Rateau, Baguès, or anyone else that use openwork nets to secure prisms. A jeweler’s technique for setting the gemstones of chandelier earrings, these nets are the sort of subtle, amusing, extravagant detail that we expect of Rateau, and Baguès at their best.

Attributed to:

Armand Albert Rateau (Designer)

Dimensions:

Height: 13.75 in (34.93 cm)Width: 11.5 in (29.21 cm)Depth: 5.5 in (13.97 cm)

Sold As:

Set of 2

Style:

Louis XVI (In the Style Of)

Materials and Techniques:

Amethyst,Brass,Rock Crystal,Silvered

Place of Origin:

France