Antique Bronze Mirror Wall Sconce, Renaissance Style with Three Candle Arms and Mask Crest — Continental, 19th Century

The girandole — a mirror married to candle arms — solved a problem that every room lit by candlelight faced: how to multiply light without multiplying candles. The mirror behind the flames doubled what little light existed, throwing it back into the room and, in the process, turning a practical object into something theatrical. The form was popular across Europe from the seventeenth century onward, and the Renaissance revival of the nineteenth century brought it back with particular enthusiasm, dressing it in the mask ornament, strapwork, and mythological creatures that the original Renaissance bronziers had taken from ancient Rome.

This example is Continental, nineteenth century, cast in gilt bronze with a depth of ornament that belongs to a foundry working at the top of its craft. The bevelled mirror plate sits within a rectangular frame bordered by a rope-twist inner moulding and an outer surround of scrolling acanthus and strapwork, all pierced and cast in the round. At the crown, a bearded mask — helmeted, commanding — emerges from a symmetrical crest of scrolls and foliate ornament, flanked by the heads of mythological birds whose wings and beaks dissolve into the scrollwork around them. The same bearded mask reappears at the base of the mirror, where three candle arms radiate outward: two sweeping to the sides, one descending at centre, each ending in a acanthus-leaf bobèche and turned urn socket. Note how the mask appears twice — at the top of the mirror and at the junction of the arms — anchoring the composition at both ends and giving the piece a vertical logic that holds even at a distance. The gilt has mellowed to a warm, even tone throughout.

This piece has been kept with care. The bronze is sound, the bevelled mirror plate intact and clear, the candle arms firm. It hangs from a solid integrated hook at the back and is ready for its next wall — above a console in an entrance hall, between two windows in a dining room, or alone on a staircase landing.

It arrives professionally packed and fully insured. All duties and import charges are our responsibility — you pay nothing beyond the listed price. Returns are accepted within 30 days.

DETAILS:
Size: Height 50 cm (19.7 in) · Width 25 cm (9.8 in) · Candle arm depth 19 cm (7.5 in)
Material: gilt bronze frame and arms; bevelled mirror plate
Style/Period: Renaissance Revival, Continental, 19th century
Candle arms: three — non-electric candelabra sconce; takes standard taper candles
Shipping: professionally packed, fully insured, worldwide — all import duties paid by us, nothing to settle on delivery
Condition: very good; gilt bronze sound throughout; bevelled mirror plate intact and clear; candle arms firm
Returns: accepted within 30 days

Read our condition standard. Please ask if you need additional photographs or measurements.

We ship worldwide, with each piece carefully packed, tracked and insured. The available shipping service and final shipping charge are shown at checkout before payment. If your destination is unavailable, please contact us before ordering.

Maison Jaspers handles US import duties. For other destinations, local import taxes and duties may apply and are payable by the recipient. Contact us before ordering if you need destination-specific guidance.

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Notify us within 30 days of delivery if you wish to return a piece. No reason is required. You pay return shipping for a change-of-mind return.

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