Pair of Rococo Bronze and Gilt Sconces

Description

Very fine pair of gilt and patinated bronze two light sconces depicting Mars holding two branches, in the manner of Jacques Caffieri.
Jacques Caffieri was one of France’s most important bronze casters during the reign of Louis XV. A nephew of Charles Le Brun, the chief designer and painter to Louis XIV, Caffieri had great talent of his own, so it isn’t surprising he  became sculpteur et ciseleur ordinaire des bâtiments du roi (Sculptor, Bronze Caster and Chaser for the King’s Palaces).
In 1740, Caffieri’s wife bought a royal privilege–a form of permit from the king–which allowed them to gild bronze as well as cast it within the same workshop; these two processes would usually have been done by separate businesses. After his son Philippe Caffieri joined the workshop in 1747, they produced designs for chandeliers, ornaments for coaches, wall lights, and furniture mounts. Jacques was a master of the Rococo style, using elaborate curves, flowering branches, and fantastical beasts in his creations. His notable clients included the queen, Marie Leczinska, the king’s mistress Madame de Pompadour, and one of the daughters of Louis XV, Madame Elisabeth.
Provenance available to purchaser.