Lot Essay
These appliques are closely related to a pair in the Musée du Louvre, illustrated in H. Ottomeyer and P. Pröschel, Vergoldete Bronzen, 1986, vol. I, p. 186, fig. 3.9.2. The tête-de-belier model was popularized by the bronzier-doreur Quentin-Claude Pitoin and appeared in numerous royal inventories, including that of the Prince de Condé in 1779. Other examples are in the Residenz, Munich (H. Ottomeyer and P. Pröschel, op. cit.). Another applique of this model is illustrated in S. Eriksen, Early Neo-Classicism in France, 1974, fig.215.
The severely neoclassical designs of the architecte-dessinateur Jean-Charles Delafosse (d. 1791) clearly influenced the form of these wall lights. Between 1768 and 1776 he published a series of engraved designs for furniture, vases, stoves and chimneypieces (Eriksen, op. cit. p.170). An engraving of 1768 for a wall-light incorporates many of the motifs found on this lot (illustrated in Ottomeyer and Proschel, op. cit., p.187, fig- 3.9.5).
The severely neoclassical designs of the architecte-dessinateur Jean-Charles Delafosse (d. 1791) clearly influenced the form of these wall lights. Between 1768 and 1776 he published a series of engraved designs for furniture, vases, stoves and chimneypieces (Eriksen, op. cit. p.170). An engraving of 1768 for a wall-light incorporates many of the motifs found on this lot (illustrated in Ottomeyer and Proschel, op. cit., p.187, fig- 3.9.5).