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Lot Essay
This rare model is inspired by wall-lights by André-Charles Boulle. The central female mask is very close to the Apollo mask on the duchesse de Berry's wall-lights in the Louvre (donation Grog-Carven). These were delivered by Boulle in 1715 to decorate the princess' salon at the château de la Muette.
Several pairs of wall-lights as well as bronze elements which could be linked to this model were listed in the 1715 acte de délaissement between Boulle and his sons:
Plusieurs cadres ronds, carrez et autres formes de différentes grandeurs et pour différents usages tous de bronze...400L
six autres paires de bras de différentes grandeurs imparfaits 1200L.
In 1775, the inventory following the death of the widow of the great marchand-mercier Hennebert listed:
3 paires de bras de Boulle à trois branches, masques de femme et guirlandes...400L.
Another example virtually identical to the offered model is illustrated H. Ottomeyer/P. Pröschel et al., Vergoldete Bronzen, Munich, 1986, vol. I, p. 60, fig. 1.9.2. The mask on these wall-lights is very similar to many mounts on furniture attributed to Boulle. One of these appears in a drawing for a bureau de cabinet from Nouveaux desseins de meubles et ouvrages de bronze et de marqueterie inventés at gravés par André-Charles Boulle, chez Mariette, pl.4, and illustrated in J-P. Samoyault, André-Charles Boulle et sa Famille, Geneva, 1979, p.217.
Several pairs of wall-lights as well as bronze elements which could be linked to this model were listed in the 1715 acte de délaissement between Boulle and his sons:
Plusieurs cadres ronds, carrez et autres formes de différentes grandeurs et pour différents usages tous de bronze...400L
six autres paires de bras de différentes grandeurs imparfaits 1200L.
In 1775, the inventory following the death of the widow of the great marchand-mercier Hennebert listed:
3 paires de bras de Boulle à trois branches, masques de femme et guirlandes...400L.
Another example virtually identical to the offered model is illustrated H. Ottomeyer/P. Pröschel et al., Vergoldete Bronzen, Munich, 1986, vol. I, p. 60, fig. 1.9.2. The mask on these wall-lights is very similar to many mounts on furniture attributed to Boulle. One of these appears in a drawing for a bureau de cabinet from Nouveaux desseins de meubles et ouvrages de bronze et de marqueterie inventés at gravés par André-Charles Boulle, chez Mariette, pl.4, and illustrated in J-P. Samoyault, André-Charles Boulle et sa Famille, Geneva, 1979, p.217.