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Pair of Louis XVI Period Ormolu Maiden-Form Neoclassical Wall Appliques/Sconces
$27,500per set
£21,248.52per set
€24,565.29per set
CA$38,859.49per set
A$43,583.50per set
CHF 22,824per set
MX$529,582.04per set
NOK 289,826.63per set
SEK 274,776.06per set
DKK 183,367.06per set
About the Item
A Pair of Louis XVI Period (18th Century) Dore Bronze Maiden-Form Two-Arm Wall Appliques/Sconces. Each applique takes the form of a caryatid-style female figure and functions as a two-arm candle sconce. The model relates to the “goût Grec” tradition, popularized during the 1760s and 1770s, with affinities to designs by Robert-Joseph Auguste, maître-orfèvre from 1757 to 1801. The design recalls drawings found in Jean-François Forty’s L’Usage des Orfèvres et des Fondeurs (1768), specifically those featured in the Cahier des six lustres, which depicted female herms or sirens holding foliate branches. Comparable wall lights are recorded in 18th-century examples housed in the Musée des Arts Décoratifs and the Wrightsman Collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Each applique consists of a central female figure cast in relief and mounted flush to the wall via an open cavity in the reverse. The body is partially draped with a skirt of stylized overlapping acanthus leaves and oak foliage. The bare torso rises from the foliage with fully modeled shoulders, arms, and a detailed face framed by curled hair bound with a floral garland. The arms extend forward and outward from the torso and terminate in two branching candle arms. Each branch is formed as a curved acanthus stem supporting a lotus-leaf bobeche with grape clusters hanging below. Above each bobeche rests a fluted candle nozzle designed for taper candles. The lower section of the figure terminates in a pair of crossed intertwined tails, also formed from foliate elements, ending in a symmetrical leafy flourish.
The Dore Bronze surface across both sconces is uniformly fire-gilded, with areas of matte and burnished finish to distinguish contours and decorative details. The heads and torsos are polished to a soft reflective tone, while the acanthus foliage, leaf skirts, and candle arms feature a matte finish to increase visual contrast. Each figure is cast in sections with concealed joinery at the arms and tail. The reverse of each sconce is open and retains remnants of original mounting hardware and iron reinforcements, consistent with late 18th-century construction techniques.
The style and construction of this pair place it firmly within the neoclassical revival associated with the reign of Louis XVI. The use of female herms and mythological references, including the siren-form tails and naturalistic ornament, align with contemporaneous decorative schemes found in Parisian interiors from the 1770s. The figures themselves bear features consistent with classical prototypes, combining a bare-breasted torso with decorative headdress and classical drapery. The overall silhouette echoes ancient Roman and Greek figures adapted into ornamental architecture.
Designed as wall-mounted candle sconces, these appliques would have originally been installed in symmetrical pairs to flank mirrors, mantels, or doorways in formal reception rooms. Their use as candle holders situates them within the pre-electrification lighting tradition, and their elaborate form suggests a decorative as well as functional purpose. The gilded surfaces and figural motifs align them with high-style furniture and interior schemes of the Louis XVI period, where such objects were often produced in collaboration between fondeurs-ciseleurs and menuisiers for elite clientele.
France, Circa: 1790
Dimensions:
Height: 16 inches
Width: 11 inches
Depth: 5 inches
- Dimensions:Height: 16 in (40.64 cm)Width: 11 in (27.94 cm)Depth: 5 in (12.7 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- Style:Louis XVI (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:1790-1799
- Date of Manufacture:1790
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:New York, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU919545999092
About the Seller
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