Wall lighting is the broad term for light fittings fixed directly to a wall, as opposed to hanging from the ceiling or standing on tables and floors. Antique wall lighting includes candle sconces, girandoles, gas brackets, oil lamp brackets, wall lanterns and early electric wall lights, made in brass, bronze, ormolu, giltwood, silver, iron and glass.
Wall-mounted candle sconces were used from at least the seventeenth century, often with a polished metal or mirrored back plate to reflect and multiply the light. The eighteenth century produced elegant giltwood girandoles and ormolu branches, while Regency and Victorian homes added gas brackets with glass shades. With the arrival of electricity in the late nineteenth century, many candle and gas fittings were converted, and new designs appeared in Arts and Crafts, Art Nouveau and Art Deco styles. Collectors look for pairs or sets, quality of casting and gilding, original backplates and sympathetic electrical conversion. Wall lights play an important part in layered lighting schemes today, providing soft ambient light, framing fireplaces, mirrors and paintings, and adding period character to halls, dining rooms and bedrooms.
