An exceptional pair of grand scale 19th century French gilt bronze wall lights after the Rococo Model by Jean-Claude Duplessis of c.1749.French - Paris Circa 1880 These outstanding wall lights of wonderful scale and colour with asymmetric scrolling fruiting acanthus leaf arms and corresponding urns, nozzles and pierced collars, issuing from matching slender leafy backplates are made after a model which is datable to 1745-49. The 18th century model is attributed by Ottomeyer and Pr�schel in their landmark work Vergoldete Bronzen Vol. I p. 143 fig. 2.II.17 to the great designer Jean-Claude Duplessis, one of the masters of the French rococo. The pair of wall lights illustrated in the link below are a pair now in the Metropolitan Museum New York, having been donated in 1971 by Mrs Charles Wrightsman, one of the 20th century''s most important collectors. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/205433Upon close examination of the images, it is evident that our pair of lights, which are similarly grand in scale, closely follow the Duplessis design. The gilding on our lights is excellent, but the chasing (engraving or embossing) is even better, with a superb crisp finishing throughout. The asymmetrical naturalism of the original design is preserved in these lights also, paying great homage to the work of earlier craftsmen, whilst being outstanding works of art in their own right. Being of such fine quality it is almost certain the wall appliqu�s were made in one of the leading Parisian workshops towards the end of the 19th century. Metalwork produced in Paris at that time was of the finest quality leading to it to be exported worldwide, making it highly probable that these lights were made for a wealthy client with America, France and England being the most likely destinations for the original order. Jean-Claude Duplessis (1699-1774) Born in Turin as Giovanni Claudio Ciambellano, Duplessis moved to France along with one of...