Silver-gilt, London, ca.1717, (no hallmarks), mark of Paul de Lamerie

Silver-gilt sconce composed of two branches and a shaped oblong backplate, the backplate has a shell terminal on the lowermost part and above, scrolls, foliage and strapwork. The upper part is decorated with scrolls and foliage and a grotesque mask above which is the Foley coat of arms engraved within a cartouche. The double scroll branches spring from a projecting platform with a cherub and shell at its base; they are enriched with leaf moldings and with downward-projecting bud motifs. The branches terminate in stylized capitals beneath the circular wax pans, which are plain on the upper side and decorated beneath with applied cutcard scrolls and husks on a matted ground. The cylindrical sockets are decorated with incised spiral fluting.

The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Collection on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Provenance: The barons Foley of Kidderminster. Sale, Christie's, lot 80, July 15, 1925. Florence, Lady Trent. J.A. Mango. The Hon. Mrs A.M. Holman, sale, Sotheby's, lot 150, May 18, 1967. Madame, J. Farago. Purchased from Partridge Fine (Fine Arts), Ltd., London, 1973.

Although not bearing a date letter, these sconces were made by Paul de Lamerie shortly after completing his apprenticeship with his master Pierre Platel. They bear de Lamerie's first maker's mark registered at Goldsmiths' Hall in 1713. The Baron's coronet at the apex of the backplate is a later addition to complement the Foley coat of arms.The gilding is also later.

Helen Jacobsen writes of Lady Strafford's interest in acquiring sconces for her house in St James's Square in 'Ambassadorial plate of the later Stuart period and the collection of the Earl of Strafford' Journal for the History of Collections, vol.19, no.1 (2007) pp.1-3, demonstrating elite interest in this newly fashionable form of lighting.

Paul de Lamerie (1688-1751) was the greatest silversmith working in England in the 18th century. A Huguenot or French Protestant he came to London with his parents, fleeing persecution in France. His success lay in his own exceptional creativity in producing stunning objects, but also in his ability as a businessman, retailing some astonishingly spectacular silver using the best and most innovative suppliers in the trade.

Sir Arthur Gilbert collected over twenty-five pieces marked de Lamerie. On display in the Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Galleries are a sauceboat of 1726-7, a pair of 1722-3 soup tureens and later soup ladles. The most elaborate pieces were modelled and chased by the celebrated ‘Maynard Master’ in de Lamerie's workshop. These include the 1738-9 Le Quesne tea kettle,1743-4 coffee pot, the 1742-3 Mountrath ewer and the 1743-4 two handled cup and cover, a 1736-7 waiter and a pair of 1742-3 salvers, also the candelabra and bread basket supplied in 1731-2 for Britain's first Prime Minister, Sir Robert Walpole. GIlbert was as interested in the association with leading past collectors as in the craftsmen who supplied and made this extraordinary silver.

The coronet finials are later

Designed to flank an over-mantel mirror, sconces with a narrow, cast backplate were a Huguenot innovation. The sophisticated form of this sconce, one of a pair, was inspired by the designs of Daniel Marot (1661-1752) and is characteristic of Paul de Lamerie's early independent work. The engraved coat of arms and baron's coronet of the Foley family were added later.

When the Catholic King Louis XIV revoked the Edict of Nantes in 1685, Huguenots (French Protestants) were forced to leave the country. Many were craftsmen who settled in London. Their technical skills and fashionable French style ensured the luxury silver, furniture, watches and jewellery they made were highly sought after. Huguenot specialists transformed English silver by introducing higher standards of craftsmanship. They promoted new forms, such as the soup tureen and sauceboat, and introduced a new repertoire of ornament, with cast sculptural details and exquisite engraving.

Sir Arthur Gilbert and his wife Rosalinde formed one of the world's great decorative art collections, including silver, mosaics, enamelled portrait miniatures and gold boxes. Arthur Gilbert donated his extraordinary collection to Britain in 1996.

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