A Good Pair of Louis XVI/Empire Period French Polychrome Painted & Carved Wall Sconce Pricket Torchères

SOLD
Origin: French
Period: Late Eighteenth Century
Provenance: Unknown
Date: c.1780-1800
Each:
Height: 15 inches
Length: 22.5 inches
Depth: 8 inches (all at maximum)

Each polychrome painted with leaf and scroll motifs, the heads with pine cone adornments and the fluted wholes mounted on a conforming circular bases with large iron prickets survive from the late Louis XVI to the beginning of Empire period France.

Remaining in fair overall condition considering their considerable age, the torchères do have some hairline cracks and areas of loss to the paintwork. The original paint is beautifully aged and the patina is well established. Each example has repair work to it with some joining work though having said this they are both still stable and useable in their current condition. We always prefer giving the client the choice with regards to restoration but if you wish the work to be undertaken after purchase please contact us for details. The torchères could of course be wired up and used to modern day standards or left as is for use with candles as intended, and they have drilled holes to their circular bases for wall mounting.

When it was first introduced in France towards the end of the 17th century the torchiere mounted one candle only, and when the number was doubled or tripled the improvement was regarded almost as a revolution in the illumination of large rooms.

Dans son jus.
image/svg+xml