AMERICAN, 1800-1810

Closely following late Georgian designs, these elegant wall sconces were made and assembled in America incorporating imported parts. As determined by microanalysis, the vertical support is tulip poplar, an American wood, while the eagles are carved from red pine, a wood generally indicative of European origins. A virtually identical pair, also made of tulip poplar, is in the collections of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (acc. no. 2014.1.2) and a related set of four adorns the East and West Halls of the Treaty Room Suite at the Diplomatic Reception Rooms. See https://vmfa.museum/piction/6027262-135563877/ and Virginia B. Hart et al., America’s Collection: The Art and Architecture of the Diplomatic Reception Rooms at the U.S. Department of State (New York, 2023), pp. 127-129.