Pair of French Bronze Wall SconcesNubian Hand Holding Torch, Arlus — France, circa 1960

DETAILS:
Size: each — Height 33 cm (13 in) · Width 11.5 cm (4.5 in)
Material: patinated black bronze hand and forearm; gilt brass torch shaft; frosted glass tulip globes
Style/Period: Art Deco tradition, French, circa 1960 — attributed to Arlus
Electrical: Before dispatch, our workshop will inspect and test the electrical system, with rewiring and replacement fittings where needed. Delivered working and ready to use.
Lampshades: frosted glass globes included
Shipping: professionally packed, fully insured, worldwide — US import duties covered; local import taxes and duties elsewhere may apply and are payable by the recipient
Condition: very good; patina consistent and even across the pair; frosted globes sound
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 figural torch sconce has a long history in European decorative arts — the hand emerging from a wall to hold a light was a conceit that appeared in the grandest French interiors of the eighteenth century and was revived with particular confidence in the Art Deco period, when designers looked again to antiquity and to the wider world for their imagery. The Parisian lighting house Arlus, working with designers including Jean Devoluy, brought this tradition into the mid-twentieth century with bronzes of genuine sculptural quality — pieces made for rooms that wanted something to look at when the lights were off.

This pair is French, circa 1960, attributed to Arlus, each sconce modelled as a hand and forearm in patinated black bronze, fingers closed around a gilt brass torch shaft that rises to a frosted glass tulip globe. The hand is cast with care — the knuckles, the grip, the slight tension in the fingers where they close around the shaft — and the contrast between the matte black patina of the hand and the warm gilt of the brass is the whole design: two materials, one gesture, no ornament needed beyond the form itself. Note how the torch shaft tapers to a point below the hand, as a held torch would, grounding the piece in its own fiction. The frosted globes diffuse the light evenly, with none of the harshness of clear glass.

Whoever lit their rooms with these before you kept both sconces in good order. The patina is consistent across the pair; the frosted globes are sound. They will be inspected and tested before dispatch, with rewiring where needed, and delivered working and ready for installation, plug adapted to your country at no charge — a pair that works as well in a modern interior as in a period one.

They arrive professionally packed and fully insured. US import duties are our responsibility. For other destinations, local import taxes and duties may apply and are payable by the recipient. 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.

Maison Jaspers pays US tariffs and 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.

Dispatch timing is shown above. Transit time depends on your destination.

Delivery information

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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