A stylish pair of cast and gilt brass wall lights, fashioned as stylised scallop shells, each with scrolled twin-arm sconces. Superb solid quality, rare large size, striking accent pieces.

Circa 1920–40.

Why we like them

Superbly decorative objects for contemporary or eclectic interiors. The flickering candlelight looks absolutely magical reflected from their beautifully sculpted backs.

Design

To the Ancient Greeks and Romans, the shell signified fertility and was associated with Aphrodite, Greek goddess of love and beauty, and with Venus, Roman goddess of the same attributes. Sandro Botticelli’s famous 1484 painting, ‘Birth of Venus’ shows her emerging from the sea on a beautiful, symmetrical scallop shell. Later on, the Christians had associated the scallop shell with pilgrimages to the Holy Land. As the shell had been included in the heraldic charge or emblem of St. James the Great, the shell symbol of Apostle James became the acknowledged badge of Christian pilgrims. In the 18th century France, Rococo – the highly ornate style which sought to glorify Nature – was named from the rocaille (rock) and the coquille (shell), the latter being widely used in the ornamentation of furniture and buildings.