EARLY 18TH CENTURY, IN THE MANNER OF ANDRÉ-CHARLES BOULLE

The inventory compiled after the death of André-Charles Boulle in 1732 is perhaps the most comprehensive source of information on late 17th early 18th Century bronzes d'ameublement (Comptes des Bâtiments du Roi, Acte de Delaissement, inventaire après le décès de Boulle, 1732). This document lists various wall-lights or bras, such as 'No 84. Les modeles des bras à soleil avec les placques etroites....45l.', which refers to a wall-light with a flat shaped backplate such as those of the present examples. Interestingly, related husk-trails feature on a Plaque illustrated on Pl. 8 of Mariette's 'Nouveaux desseins de meubles et ouvrages de bronze et de marqueterie inventés et gravés par Andrés-Charles Boulle' (J.-P. Samoyault, André-Charles Boulle et sa famille, Geneva, 1979, p. 221). Interestingly, the wall-lights still have prickets to hold the candles which would suggest a relatively early date of execution.