An important pair of Louis XVI ormolu three-branch wall lights attributed to Pierre Gouthière circa 1780

Possibly Robert Goelet, Champ Soleil, Newport, Parke Bernet, New York, October 13-15, 1966, lot 390 (set of four)
Jack and Belle Linsky, Sotheby’s, New York, May 21, 1985, lot 161

Good overall condition; very finely worked and chased. Both wall lights with areas of surface dirt and oxidation but concentrated mostly on the bodies of the putti. One vacant hole, possibly lacking an element, at the foot of one putti; curled acanthus leaves are later and are now covering drilled holes that originally held the portraits of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette; one wall light is lacking a floral element, but it is only apparent upon close inspection; the other wall light is missing one leaf.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Few examples are known of this rare and possibly royal model. The pair in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (C. Dauterman et al., Decorative Art from the Samuel H. Kress Collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Aylesbury, 1964, pp. 277-279, figs. 235-236) retain oval profile medallions of Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette on the fronts of the vases. On all the other known wall-lights of this model this has been replaced by foliate scrolls although a now redundant central screw hole provides evidence of this earlier mount.

A single example of this model, also retaining the portrait medallion of Marie-Antoinette was sold from the Estate of Belle Linsky, Sotheby’s, New York, May 21, 1988, lot 86. The other known examples of this model include a pair from the collection of Baron Edouard de Rothschild, Paris (F. Morton, The House of Rothschild in “Holiday”, Vol. 30, no. 3., September 1961, p. 37) and a pair from the collection of Djahanguir Riahi, sold Christie’s London, December 6, 2012, lot 4 ($214,133).

An attribution to the celebrated ciseleur-doreur, Pierre Gouthière (1732-c. 1813) has been suggested on the basis of certain constructional techniques and the use of dorure au mat. Indeed, the pair exhibited by Lord Duveen in the 1933 exhibition Three French Reigns is attributed to this maker.