Pair of French Vintage Gilt Brass Wall Sconces, Two Arm with Oval Mirror Backplate — France, Mid-20th Century

The mirror sconce is one of the more considered inventions of the French decorative tradition. Placing a mirror behind the candle arms was not decoration for its own sake — it doubled the light in rooms that had little of it, and it turned a functional fitting into something that held the wall even in daylight, when the candles were cold. The form passed from the candlelit salons of the eighteenth century into the electrified interiors of the twentieth without losing anything, because the logic behind it had never depended on the flame.

This pair is French, mid-twentieth century, each sconce built around a beaded oval mirror plate in gilt brass — the reflective centre from which two scrolling arms extend, each curving outward and upward to a beaded bobèche and turned socket. At the crown of the oval, a small cast foliate finial ties the composition together; at the base, a trefoil drop finishes it cleanly. The beading runs the full perimeter of the oval frame without interruption — note how the same bead moulding reappears on the bobèche rims at the arm tips, the repetition of a single detail across the whole piece that gives it its coherence. The gilt brass has a warm, even tone across both sconces, consistent with careful indoor use.

Whoever lit their rooms with these before you kept them in good order. Both sconces are sound and well matched; the oval mirrors are intact. They arrive fully rewired and ready to hang, plug adapted to your country at no charge — a pair that works as naturally above a console as it does either side of a bedroom mirror.

They arrive 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: 20 Centimeters high 11 centimeter’s deep
Material: gilt brass frame and arms; oval mirror plate
Style/Period: French classical tradition, mid-20th century
Weight: 1,400 g the pair (3.1 lb)
Lampshades: not included
Shipping: professionally packed, fully insured, worldwide — all import duties paid by us, nothing to settle on delivery
Condition: good vintage condition; gilt brass sound and well matched across the pair; oval mirrors intact
Returns: accepted within 30 days

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

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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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