CIRCA 1750

With their boldly scrolling rocaille branches and trailing foliage, these wall-lights are of a similar character to those almost certainly executed by the sculpteur, fondeur et ciseleur du Roi Jacques Caffiri (1678-1755), probably with the assistance of his son Philippe (1714-74), which were acquired by Madame Infante, Louise-Elisabeth of France, for the Palace at Colorno (illustrated in C. Bremmer-David, Decorative Arts, An Illustrated Summary Catalogue of the Collections of the J. Paul Getty Museum, Malibu, 1993, no. 168, p. 103). A pair of two-branch wall-lights of somewhat similar form, proabably also executed by Caffiri, can be seen in the background of the 1765 portrait of Princess Luisa of Parma by Laurent Pcheux, which is now in the Palazzo Pitti, Florence.
Whilst the use of pouncing on inventory marks is well-documented in the 18th Century, it would appear to be unprecedented amongst bronziers and ciseleur-doreurs. Whilst Caffieri is known to have signed on occasion - for instance on the chandelier in the Wallace Collection, which was also taken back to Parma by Louise-Elizabeth on her return from Versailles (illustrated in P. Hughes, The Wallace Collection - Catalogue of Furniture III, London, 1996, 266 (F84), pp.1317-20) - he usually signs in capitals CAFFIERI A PARIS, and thus without further documentary evidence, the present signature must be treated with scepticism.