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Lot Essay
These striking wall lights, with their quiver-form back plates suspended from floral wreaths, appear from details of their construction to date from the Restauration period. However the model clearly owes a debt to examples from the late 1770's and 1780's. Examples of ribbon-suspended quiver-form wall lights from the Louis XVI period include two extraordinary pairs with arms in the form of poppies supplied to the Duchesse de Mazarine by Gouthière in 1781, one pair now in the Louvre, Paris, the other pair formerly in the collection of Consuelo Vanderbilt Balsan and sold Christie's, New York, 23 May 1995, lot 229, now in a private collection.
Interestingly, in view of the dating of the pair offered here, a plainer model of quiver-form wall lights was supplied as late as 1805 by the bronzier Ravrio to the Château de Fontainebleau (see J-P. Samoyault, Musée National du Château de Fontainebleau, Pendules et bronzes d' Ameublement entrés sous le premier Empire, Paris, 1989, p. 129, cat. 95.).
Other examples of exactly the same model to those offered here include a pair from the Patiño collection, sold Sotheby's, New York, 20 May 1992, lot 34, and a further pair sold Christie's, New York, 26 October 1994, lot 39, but lacking chains.
Interestingly, in view of the dating of the pair offered here, a plainer model of quiver-form wall lights was supplied as late as 1805 by the bronzier Ravrio to the Château de Fontainebleau (see J-P. Samoyault, Musée National du Château de Fontainebleau, Pendules et bronzes d' Ameublement entrés sous le premier Empire, Paris, 1989, p. 129, cat. 95.).
Other examples of exactly the same model to those offered here include a pair from the Patiño collection, sold Sotheby's, New York, 20 May 1992, lot 34, and a further pair sold Christie's, New York, 26 October 1994, lot 39, but lacking chains.