Fine Pair of Italian Gilt Bronze Wall Lights or Appliques in the French Empire StyleItalian - Circa 1880These lovely wall lights are conceived as notched arrows with lion mask plaques in the centre of the shafts. The mouths of the lions, mounted on bronze backgrounds, hold gilt swags of interconnected beads, the same beads as are used as the decorative border framing the masks. Two naturalistic branches are attached to the lower part of the arrow shaft and these terminate in drip trays with floral detailing and candle nozzles or sconces with engine turning.The quality of chasing and finishing on these lights is exemplary. See for example the texture of the feathers, the use of matte and polished surfaces for contrast in different areas and the vast range of different textures used throughout these pieces. The gilding is original and is typical of the finest Italian and French work of this period.It is likely that the basic design for these pieces came from a series of w...