Multi-gemstone Wall Lights and Sconces

These truly exceptional sconces by E. F. Caldwell are pictured the the Caldwell archives at the Smithsonian in binder 17. They are made of gilt and patinated bronze, and mounted with...

Rare wall light lamp sculpture by the French artist Claude Victor Boeltz. Technic called explose bronze gilt 24-karat with pyrite and dioptase natural stone original image from Boeltz showroom during the 1970s where we can see this work. Bio Claude Victor Boeltz Erosurrealist master artist born in Paris, France in 1937. From 1945-1960 Coming from a family of artists for three generations, orphaned by my father, dislocated family, I had passion, if not the rage, to learn art, namely sculpting, painting, foundry work, chiseling, pottery, architecture, human anatomy, ironworking and blacksmithing, and geology, focusing on gems and minerals. My first apprenticeship was with the sculptor Henri Molins. My foundry apprenticeships included working with world famous Susse Foundry and Houdot Foundry. My chiseling apprenticeship was under master Soudoun, which in turn enabled me to receive the “Best Worker in France” National Honor. At night, I attended school and received degrees from the Boule School, Gambetta School and the Academy of Art in Paris. I spent most of my Sundays during this period going to museums. I can’t imagine not being able to realize a complete masterpiece. It is during these years that I worked on artists’ masterpieces, present and past. These included Bersus, Meunier, Giacometti, Ponpon, Chipparus, Dali, Dajou, Ruhlman, and many others. I worked at the Louvre Museum, focusing on the Louis XIII through Louis XVI styles. The years of my pottery working were spent in the French Riviera, where I met and worked with Pablo Picasso and many countless others. I was the young guy in the footsteps of these great masters – unconscious of the privilege which was bestowed upon me. From 1960-1970 Created a foundry in the Castle Country of Loire in France. It is during this time that I received an award from the French Government as “The youngest artistic industrialist in France”. I then exposed my works all over Europe namely in Germany, Brussels, Cologne, Frankfurt, Geneva, Lausanne and Milan. From 1970-1980 During this period, I met the artist Ceasar, and he introduced me to his “compressed” style of art. That is when I decided to create an opposite art form called “exploded bronze” which creates an explosion of bronze fusion. I used this new unique media of my creation, combined and incrusted with African emeralds with a base and veil made of metacrylite to realize an impressive master piece which I called “Cleopatra”. The taller than life-size sculpture was exposed at the famous George V hotel in Paris as homage to Elizabeth Taylor for her role in the movie. French government officials were present including the minister of culture. Attending this exhibition was Filidor, an “intimate” friend of Dali, which upon seeing my masterpiece and discussing with him wrote in my guest book the following: “To fulfill the void of surrealist sculptures, we must look upon and inspire ourselves from surrealism. I could not have predicted a more adequate process to accomplish this. What can be said? “Idiosyncratic.” I later opened an art studio on the Faubourg St. Honore’ in Paris, followed by an art casting foundry in Fontenay Sous Bois. It is there that I worked on my exploded bronze media, to provide artworks to Fred’s Jewelers...