Object Description
A rare and important pair of French Mid 20th century wall appliqués / wall lights from the French Art Deco period attributed to André Leon Arbus and Gilbert Poillerat. Two pairs available.
French Paris Circa – 1940
These fine wall lights are finished with a gunmetal patina with gilded highlights and retain the original frosted glass basins. The design relates to a drawing by Arbus reproduced in Andre Arbus: Architecte-decorateur des annees 40 by Yvonne Brunhammer page 302. This is a rare design and sets of four wall lights of any model are rarely encountered. Extremely stylish and of grand scale in wonderful original condition.
A closely related set of two lights was sold in Tajan in Paris on the 7th of June 2006 lot 225 but these lights had different backplates and a bronzed finish.
André Leon Arbus (1903-1969)
Arbus was born in Toulouse but made his name in Paris having graduated from the Ecole des Beaux Arts. He frequently collaborated with other designers such as Poillerat, his suspected co-designer in this case, and made use of the talents of the great French manufacturers such as the Aubusson tapestry workshops and the house of Veronese, a great French lighting design house that continues to this day and may possibly have been responsible for the production of our pieces.
After winning a medal at the 1925 International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts and the Prix Blumenthal in 1934, Arbus was firmly ensconced at the centre of the art and design world in France, leading to a commission from the French Ministery of Agriculture in 1936. Arbus was to maintain a great relationship with the French government for the rest of his career, selling many pieces to the various government offices and interiors and even supplying pieces to be given as diplomatic gifts to heads of state. One of his grandest projects was the redecoration of the French Embassy in Washington in 1955.
Our lights are wonderfully representative of this great designer’s style and will enhance any interior.
Dimensions
Width 12 inches – 30cm
Height 211/2 inches – 55cm
Depth 14 inches – 36cm