Pair of rocaille sconces, Paris, Louis XV period

Pair of rocaille sconces, Paris, Louis XV period

Rare pair of finely chiseled and mercury-gilded bronze sconces.
Small model of trumeau with two arms of light.
The barrels are decorated with rococo decorations of acanthus braces and openwork cockscombs.
The two crossed arms are nervously treated like whips; they support the two cups with plant decoration which support two bobeches in the shape of twisted vases.

High quality carving and mercury gilding.

Beautiful state of conservation; small restoration to a wall light.

Parisian work from the Louis XV period around 1750, probably after a drawing by Nicolas Pineau (1684-1754).

Dimensions:

Height: 41 cm; Width: 23 cm

Origin :

Parisian private collection.

Our opinion :

The design of our pair of wall lights is characteristic of the works of the regent's sculptor Nicolas Pineau.
Like Juste Aurèle Meissonnier, Pineau will be one of the great representatives of the asymmetrical rocaille which corresponds to the peak of the Louis XV style in the 1750s.
Nervousness, exuberance of forms and the proliferation of plant decoration are the founding principles of this movement.
Our sconces with crossed arms appeared in the middle of the Enlightenment with many variations in size and decoration.
The great foundry-engravers of the period almost all engaged in this exercise.