Pair of French hand and torch wall sconces with black shades, in the manner of André Arbus

A pair of French wall sconces modelled as a black-lacquered hand grasping a tapering brass torch, mounted on a cast brass rosette of laurel leaves. The torch terminates in a pointed finial below and rises to the lampholder and conical shade above. The hand-and-torch applique is one of the enduring conceits of mid-century French decoration, made by Maison Jansen, Maison Arlus and others across the 1940s, 50s and 60s, and associated in the trade with André Arbus. The appeal is the contrast — matte black against warm polished brass — and the fact that the sculptural element carries the piece: lit or unlit, the hand reads across a room. At 32 cm high and projecting 17 cm from a 12 cm rosette, these are compact, scaled to flank a mirror or a chimneypiece, or to sit either side of a bed where a larger applique would crowd the wall. Rewired with modern three-core flex and fitted with a bayonet lampholder, supplied with flying leads for connection by a qualified electrician. Black conical card shades are included; these are later and not original to the sconces. Sold as a pair. Offered in the manner of André Arbus — no stamp, mark or documentation supporting a firm attribution has been found, and no claim of authorship is made. France, mid-20th century.