2-candle sconce (pair)
Northeastern United States
1810-1860
Measurements
13-1/2 in x 8-1/8 in x 4-3/8 in
Materials
Tinned sheet iron
Credit Line
Historic Odessa Foundation, The David Wilson Mansion, Inc.
Accession Number
1971.970
Condition Notes
Each of the sconces is heavily oxidized all over. The left candle socket on 1971.970.2 has come loose from the bottom.
Provenance
Probably the gift of Titus C. Geesey. Per a letter of May 26, 1957 (“Henry Francis du Pont Winterthur Museum Collection,” Archives 46, Unsorted papers relating to David Wilson Mansion), Geesey presented the gift of "a pair of tin, 2-candle, wall sconces, to be used in the old kitchen of the old Wilson Mansion in Odessa." Although the sconces were not numbered and catalogued at the time, they were numbered in 1971, after all of the objects in the Wilson house were merged with Winterthur. The only other pair of 2-candle sconces is accession no. 1977.565.
The excessive rust on the surfaces of these sconces is unlike any other tinned objects at Historic Odessa, suggesting that they originated elsewhere, which is consistent with the Geesey gift.
Comments
These broad, two-candle sconces are wider versions of the more common single-candle sconces. They have an arched hood to deflect candle smoke, the edge of which is crimped. Vertical beads created by folding the sheet metal reinforce the back, in addition to the folded edges. A gallery surrounds the base and encloses two sockets for candles. A single hole in the upper center allows the sconce to be attached to a wall.
