ticketsMember | Make a donation

Three-light wall brackets (set of four)

Modeler After a model by F. L. Feuchère père French
late 18th or early 19th century
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 527
These four gilt-bronze wall lights are decorated with allegories of love. The stem is fluted in the form of a torch flaring at the top and surmounted by a group of clouds on which two kissing doves and a laurel spray are poised. From the stem emerge two arabesque-shaped branches, linked by a ribbon knot and ornamented with grape bunches and acanthus leaves. In the center, a third arm, higher than the two others, terminates in a small naked cupid holding a flaming heart.

The original model of these so-called « lovebirds » wall lights, was made in 1787 by the bronzier Pierre-François Feuchère for the bedchamber of Marc-Antoine Thierry de Ville d'Avray, Intendant Général du Garde-Meuble. The workshop of Pierre-François Feuchère, who worked with his son Lucien-François, was one of the most important for the production of luxurious gilt bronze at the end of the eighteenth century. Because of its success, the Feuchères produced different variants of this wall light. One year later, two pairs were made for Marie-Antoinette’s cabinet de toilette at the Château de Saint-Cloud (now in the collection of the Musée du Louvre, Paris) and two others for the private Cabinet of the King at Saint-Cloud (now in the Elysée Palace) where the doves were replaced by a bouquet of fruits and flowers.

Emblematic of the neoclassical style, these wall lights have been repeated many times during the late eighteenth century and nineteenth century, making a precise dating of the MMA models very difficult.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Three-light wall brackets (set of four)
  • Modeler: After a model by F. L. Feuchère père (French, died 1828)
  • Date: late 18th or early 19th century
  • Culture: French
  • Medium: Gilt bronze
  • Dimensions: Each: H. 27 1/4 x W. 15 1/4 x D. 9 1/4 in. (69.2 x 38.7 x 23.5 cm)
  • Classification: Metalwork-Gilt Bronze
  • Credit Line: Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Wrightsman, 1977
  • Object Number: 1977.1.6–.9
  • Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Nine-light chandelier, Gilt and patinated bronze, French
Nine-light chandelier
French
ca. 1785
Twenty-four-light chandelier (lustre) (one of a pair), Gilt bronze, rock crystal, French
Twenty-four-light chandelier (lustre) (one of a pair)
French
ca. 1790
Set of four three-light sconces (bras de lumière), Gilt bronze, French, Paris
Set of four three-light sconces (bras de lumière)
French, Paris
ca. 1787–88
Vase on a column stand, Hôtel des Menus-Plaisirs, Versailles, Egyptian porphyry, gilt-bronze mounts, French, Versailles and Paris
Vase on a column stand
Multiple artists/makers
after 1771–72, mounts ca. 1780
Marie de Médicis (1573–1610), Guillaume Dupré French, Gilt bronze, French, Paris
Marie de Médicis (1573–1610)
Guillaume Dupré
1615

Related Content

Perspectives

Articles, audio, and video from The Met's online magazine.

Publications

Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.