Pair of Exceptional Antique American Louis-Xvi Style Wall Sconces Ca. 1910

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Offering a pair of exceptional, large and elegant, American Louis-XVI style three-candle, gilt-bronze wall sconces, Ca. 1910, in excellent original … Read more Offering a pair of exceptional, large and elegant, American Louis-XVI style three-candle, gilt-bronze wall sconces, Ca. 1910, in excellent original condition. Each sconce features a finely cast urn-shaped backplate surmounted by a classical female mask flanked by satyrs and adorned with foliate garlands, scrolling acanthus arms, and fluted drip pans with original faux-candle sleeves.

The wiring is original and in excellent, working order. One extremely unusual and amusing feature: each candle cover has a slit which slides down over a protruding switch on the electric candle itself. Thus each candle can be separately operated by simply turning the candle cover about 1/8 inch. Of course the sconces can be operated by a wall switch as well.

The finish on the sconces is original and in excellent condition. Minor touch-up with gold leaf paint has been accomplished along the edges of the back plates where they had been lightly touched by house paint. Each sconce has three small holes drilled in the bottom finial of the main body, one on each side, one at the bottom, probably intended for crystal pendants. There is a small loop on the backside of each arm which might likewise have been intended for the hanging of a pendant or perhaps a garland of crystal beads.

These (unmarked) wall sconces represent American design and manufacturing at its early 20th Century zenith, and surely were made by a luxury American maker such as E.F. Caldwell & Co. or Sterling Bronze Co., both located in New York City and catering to a high-end residential and institutional clientele.

Measurements: about 17 ½ inches top to bottom, 15 wide and projecting 13 from the wall. See less