Pair Of Regency Period Gilt Bronze Sconces Attributed To Charles Cressent

Pair of gilt bronze sconces with two light arms.

Special to the Regency period, the decoration depicting children is very finely crafted.

These two children look at each other, holding a candlestick in each hand. One is dressed in a tunic with a strong drapery, representative of ancient art; the other, bare-chested, is simply draped at the waist. Their lower bodies are transformed by a splendid, finely chiseled bouquet of foliage and flowers.

In their hands, majestically rise candlesticks, coiling at their waists and winding toward the sky, decorated with scrolling acanthus leaves that stand out for their elegant movement and fine chiseling.

The lowest candlesticks are decorated with a large open flower, striated underneath. They are topped with small sockets decorated with acanthus leaves chiseled at the base. The longer arms end with a finely crafted bobeche decorated with a graceful spiral flower that underlines the visual harmony and movement of this light fixture. They are topped with longer sockets half with stylized foliage motifs.

This pair of sconces is very interesting for its finely crafted antique children decoration, a model attributed to Charles Cressent, one of the greatest cabinetmaker-bronzier ornamentalists, but also for the harmony of the asymmetrical, flowing arms, and especially for their 52 cm height, which gives them a larger dimension than many Regency period sconces.

Regency period work attributed to Charles Cressent, in its beautiful original gilding

Charles Cressent (1685-1768) was appointed master sculptor in 1714 and a sculptor-ornamentist specializing in artistic bronze in 1719. He then became cabinetmaker to the Regent, the Duke of Orléans, and thereby became one of the most renowned cabinetmakers of his time, crafting furniture with rocaille bronze ornamentation highly prized by the upper class.

Restoration of use and maintenance

Dimensions: H 52 cm x W 30 cm x D 16 cm