Pair of Wall Lights

Acanthus leaves, a mask, and rosettes, all typical motifs of the late Baroque period, decorate this pair of oval mirrors. The mirror glass reflected the flames of the candles held in the holders, thereby increasing the amount of light produced. Small mirrored wall lights, consisting of one branch each, would probably have hung in a bedroom or study of a private townhouse. The numbers 20 and 22 painted on the back of each mirror suggest that this pair was once part of a much larger set. The wall lights closely follow a design for mirrors by Daniel Marot, published in an engraving in Holland in 1703. They resemble other silvered and gilded wall lights in the Royal Palace of Drottningholm in Sweden.