Pair of Antique French Bronze Two-Arm Wall SconcesLouis XVI Quiver and Urn — France, Early 20th Century

DETAILS:
Size: each — Height 40.5 cm (15.9 in) · Width 30 cm (11.8 in)
Material: gilt bronze
Style/Period: Louis XVI style, French, early 20th century
Weight: 3.780 kg the pair (8.3 lb)
Sockets: two per sconce, four total — inspected and tested before dispatch, rewired where needed, and delivered working and ready to use
Lampshades: not included
Shipping: professionally packed, fully insured, worldwide
Condition: very good; bronze sound and well matched across the pair
Returns: accepted within 30 days

Before dispatch, our workshop will inspect and test the electrical system, with rewiring and replacement fittings where needed. Delivered working and ready to use.

The Louis XVI quiver sconce was one of the most precisely resolved lighting forms the French decorative tradition ever produced. The quiver — the archer's arrow-case, borrowed from the mythology of Eros and the military imagery of antiquity — gave the backplate its vertical authority, while the swag ornament that wrapped around it softened the form just enough to suit the drawing room rather than the arsenal. At the crown, a lidded urn with a flame finial completed the composition: base, body, crown, each element answering the one below it. The best foundries cast these pieces with a precision that matched the finest furniture of the period, and they remained in continuous production because the form was simply correct.

This pair is French, early twentieth century, cast in bronze with the weight and finish of a serious foundry. Each sconce is built around a fluted quiver backplate — the surface chased with vertical reeding interrupted by a central swag of drapery that loops and ties at either side — rising to a turned collar from which two scrolling arms sweep outward, each chased along its upper face and terminating in a lobed bobèche and socket. At the crown, a lidded urn chased with palmette leaves and draped swags is topped with a flame finial, the vertical accent that anchors the whole composition at the top. Note how the swag ornament appears at three levels — on the quiver body, on the urn, and implied in the curve of the arms themselves — the discipline of a designer who treated the motif as a theme rather than a decoration. The gilt bronze is warm and even across both sconces; both pieces are well matched in patina and scale.

These were lit regularly and kept with care. The gilt is sound across the pair, the casting firm and crisp at the ornamental detail, the arms steady. They arrive inspected and tested before dispatch, rewired where needed, and delivered working and ready to use.

They arrive professionally packed and fully insured. Returns are accepted within 30 days.

Condition

Electrical details

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

A decorative style is not a guarantee of a particular maker or date. See the individual listing for the stated attribution and period.

Worldwide delivery is included in the price. Every piece is individually packed, tracked and fully insured. No shipping charge is added at checkout. If your destination is not listed, please contact us before ordering.

European Union: no customs and no import charges. Delivery usually takes 2–5 working days after dispatch.

United States: Maison Jaspers pays the tariffs and import duties for you.

United Kingdom: UK import VAT is payable on delivery (5% for antiques over 100 years old, otherwise 20%).

Other destinations: local import taxes may apply and are payable by the recipient. Contact us before ordering if you would like guidance.

Dispatch timing is shown above.

Delivery information

Notify us within 30 days of delivery if you wish to return a piece. No reason is required. Returns are free within the Netherlands and Belgium; from elsewhere you pay return shipping for a change-of-mind return.

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