If these wall-lights were bought by a member of the Moncreiffe family in the 18th Century, they were exceptionally avant-garde in taste. They date from the crucial moment around 1760 when the emerging neo-classical style in Paris was patronised by a very few discerning British collectors, most notably the 6th Earl of Coventry. In Paris in 1763, he acquired two pairs of ormolu wall-lights from the marchand-mercier Simon-Philippe Poirier (1720-1785), the catalyst between designers and craftsmen in the new style. These wall-lights relate closely to those bought by Lord Coventry from Poirier, particularly the coin pattern in the lower shafts. The Coventry wall-lights were sold by the Trustees of the Croome Estates, in these Rooms, 13 June 1991, lot 30.