Pair Orientalist Egyptian Bronze Sconces After Alphonse Thill

This pair of unusual gilt bronze sconces from the Belle Epoque period, circa 1900, depict nude maidens emerging from tall bullrush (cattail) reeds, after the original sculptures by the French Orientalist painter and sculptor, Alphonse Leon Antoine Germain-Thill (1873-1925).  The subject is no doubt derived on the biblical story of pharoah's daughter approaching the Nile to bathe, only to find and rescue the baby Moses who was floating in a basket, as told in Exodus 2:5. They have old ceramic sockets and are in need of new wiring, which we will be happy to install for a minimal fee.  Condition of each is good. There are scratches, light bends, and some degree of oxidation, consistent with age.  Signed "G. Thill" on front and rear shows impressed mark "GB" likely representing the foundry.  Provenence: Sotheby's.

Thill was also a painter known for landscapes and local genre scenes.  He studied with Fernand Cormon and exhibited in Paris beginning in 1903.  He painted mostly in the south of France and North Africa.  (Source:  Benezit Dictionnaire Des Peintres, Sculpteurs, Dessinateurs Et Graveurs.)

( classical biblical egyptian )