In the living room at Fox Hall there is a pair of antique Italianate gilded wall brackets on either side of an oil painting discovered at a gallery in Prague. To this day, it is one of our children’s favorite paintings! The antique Chinese porcelain jars, purchased in Hong Kong in the 1960’s, were given to me by my parents. The delicate wall brackets serve to complement the graceful curves of the porcelain.
A pair of lovely wall brackets will enhance any wall!
Wall brackets support three-dimensional artwork such as porcelain vases, sculptures, clocks, and even candlestick holders. They have graced interiors in Europe for centuries. Wall brackets are my go-to decorative element for embellishing a room.
The collection of Canton porcelain is flanking the 8' long portrait of my English grandfather. Due to the circumference of the porcelain, they required rather large wall brackets.
Wall brackets give dimension to a wall. I recommend always purchasing them in pairs for symmetry. They come in all sizes, shapes, and forms: gilded wood, stone, plaster, acrylic, and other media forms.
This pair is based on an 18th-century design, They are hand-carved with antique gold gilt. Scully and Scully offer some lovely options.
Wall brackets should complement the object they hold, as well as the room! They are discussed in detail in my book, The Pretty & Proper Living Room.
My husband and I purchased a set of four gilded brackets from the Mario Buatta sale at Sotheby’s in NYC and they now happily grace our Palm Beach living room.
Grandmillennial Tips:
When you discover a pretty pair of wall brackets, buy them!
If you have a piece of porcelain, such as a vase or a Chinese ginger jar, and wish to display it on a wall bracket, remember to measure the widest point of the porcelain piece, and the depth of the wall bracket shelf. The widest point on the porcelain may require a larger shelf surface on the wall bracket, to accommodate the depth of the vase.
In a house with slamming doors and overzealous housekeepers, remember to stick a small piece of museum putty or posterboard clay under the porcelain pieces displayed on wall brackets. This helps to keep the pieces in place.
There are endless options to place on wall brackets. Look around your house for a pair of something pretty, and ponder… are they "wall bracket-worthy?!"
Forbidden Faux Pas:
No-no: To hang a pair of wall brackets too high when placed on either side of a piece of artwork.
What is done: Try to center the entire composition of both the wall bracket and the item that is placed upon it, on the overall length of the artwork or mirror. If anything, the composition can be hung a scant lower than the true center of the artwork.
XX,
Holly
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