Pair of 19th Century 'Girandole' Italian Antique Mirrored Wall Sconces

Pair of 19th Century Antique 'Girandole' Italian Mirrored Wall Sconces

Very beautiful brass 19th Century Italian mirrored wall sconces in original condition with three arm candles.

Bevelled mirrors

A girandole from French, in turn from Italian girandola) is an ornamental branched candlestick or light fixture consisting of several lights, often resembling a small chandelier. Girandoles came into use about the second half of the 17th century and were commonly made and used in pairs.

A girandole has always been, comparatively speaking, a luxurious appliance for lighting, and in the great 18th-century period of French house decoration, the famous ciseleurs designed some exceedingly beautiful examples. A great variety of metals have been used for this purpose. Sometimes, as in the case of candlesticks, girandoles have been made in hardwoods. Gilded bronze has been a very frequent medium, but for table use silver is still the favorite material.

Girandoles, or lighting devices, have also been attached to looking glasses and furniture. Some popular mirrors, especially the convex style, and some large dressing glasses of the 19th century were known as "girandoles" because of the lighting devices mounted to their sides.