18th Century Giltwood Wall Brackets

A bold pair of early 18th-century Régence giltwood wall brackets, each centred on a stylised dolphin mask set between bold scrolling volutes, the whole descending through ribbed acanthus to a pendant flower-head. In the manner of Gian Lorenzo Bernini.

France, circa 1720.

Why we like them

There is real theatre to these. We are absolutely in love with the boldly carved dolphin masks — round-eyed and snub-snouted in the stylised Baroque manner — set between turned volutes and dissolving into a cascade of ribbed acanthus. It is the kind of marine conceit that runs through the finest Baroque carving, drawn from the vocabulary of sea-gods and fountains of Bernini, here rendered in the somewhat lighter, scrolling idiom of the French Régence. Conceived to carry a bust, a vase, a clock or a pair of candelabra, they come into their full splendour once dressed. Boldly carved, richly patinated, and full of character — a sculptural pair of genuine presence.

Dimensions

Width: 14.5 in / 37 cm
Height: 13 in / 33 cm

Depth: 8.25 in / 21 cm