Sconce

This brass sconce, one of four (see 68.143.6, .15-.16), and its corresponding twelve-light chandelier (68.143.5) originally illuminated the sitting room, or rear parlor, of the mansion built for Jedediah Wilcox at 816 Broad Street in Meriden, Connecticut. Completed in 1870, the house was heralded as one of the state’s grandest residences. Previously outfitted for gas lighting, the fixture has been electrified for use in the Museum. Likely made by Mitchell, Vance and Co., the sconce incorporates a Néo-Grec decorative vocabulary that features stylized palmettes, fleur-de-lis, and portrait medallions above the gas keys and coordinates with the room's original suite of seating furniture, overmantel mirror, and window cornices (see 68.133.1-.5, .8-10, and 68.134.11).