Two Rococo style gilt and silvered metal girandoles

Two Rococo style gilt and silvered metal girandoles
French, late 19th Century
Height 90cm, width 65cm, depth 30cm
 
These exquisite girandoles are designed in a graceful Rococo style. This style was fashionable in France in the 18th Century, during the reign of Louis XV (1715-1774). Derived from the French word ‘rocaille’ (rock or shell), ‘Rococo’ is characterised by its use of classical seashell motifs, curves, counter-curves, and scrolling foliage. It is a highly ornamental style. 
 
The girandoles are crafted from silvered metal, parts of which are gilt. Each item features a shaped oval mirror, which is fitted with a pair of three-light candelabra. These candelabra spring from shaped back-plates, decorated with openwork scrolling foliage. The lights' leafy branches curve upwards to terminate in gadrooned and foliate urn-shaped capitals, which hold white candle-tubes. The light created by the candelabra will be reflected in the girandoles’ mirrored backs, illuminating the pair and the room they are placed in.