Pair 19th Century, Italian Baroque Revival Gilt Wood & Tole Three-Arm Sconces

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A dramatic pair of Italian Baroque Revival gilt tole three-light wall sconces. Each is comprised of 19th century elements designed … Read more A dramatic pair of Italian Baroque Revival gilt tole three-light wall sconces. Each is comprised of 19th century elements designed with a richly sculptural tole backplate in a bold palmette, acanthus and scrolling foliate form. The backplates rise in a fan-like arrangement of deeply modeled C-scrolls, curled leaves and central shell-like ribbing, creating the theatrical movement associated with Italian decorative metalwork, church ornament, villa interiors and Continental revival lighting. Each sconce supports three candle arms with darkened iron scroll supports, fluted bobeches, urn-form candle cups and giltwood pendant ball finials, giving the pair strong depth and architectural presence.

The sconces belong to the Italian toleware tradition, where sheet metal was shaped, embossed, gilt and painted to evoke carved giltwood, bronze lighting and Baroque ecclesiastical ornament. Their worn gilding, oxidized iron arms, darkened candle sockets, visible age, losses and traces of red bole or underpaint give the pair a desirable time-softened patina. The palmette and acanthus motifs relate to classical ornament, while the exaggerated scrolling silhouette places them firmly in the Baroque Revival and Rococo Revival taste popular in late 19th- and early 20th-century Italian decorative interiors.

Measurements: 24.25" h x 17" w x 9" d. See less