Whitehall Large Sconce

Seeded glass at the back, clear glass at the front, and a pair of bulbs posed like candles on a mantel.

The Whitehall Large Sconce is by Ralph Lauren, with a Butler's Silver finish. Wall lanterns of this type were long a standard in English entrance halls and stairways, where an enclosed light was safer than an open flame. Slim silver posts frame three panes of clear glass around a seeded back panel, under a molded cornice and over a stepped base. A single swan-necked arm divides into two candle cups that hold candelabra bulbs. It is 16 inches high and 9.75 long, with a backplate of 9.5 by 15.75 inches.

Old-world hallway, new-world wiring.