IN THE MUSEUM

Wall sconces – Louis XVI era

Wall sconces made of chiselled gilded openwork bronze. Each of them features three arms.
They are adorned with a woman’s bust, holding a branch in each arm; a piece of cloth is draped around her hips.

Donated by Grog Carven

Musée du Louvre, Paris.

These wall sconces are typical of the Louis XVI style and were strongly inspired by Ancient Greece. A three-armed woman adorns the piece. The candleholders seem to grow out of the woman’s two arms; a third one sprouts from her head, which is bending slightly under the weight it is carrying.
The woman with a piece of cloth draped around her hips is reminiscent of the caryatids, who, like columns, stood under entablatures in Ancient Greek monuments. Each arm is adorned with laurel leaves, acanthus leaves, and classical patterns.