Object Description
A Black Forest Carved Mirror
Carved from walnut, the bevelled oval mirror plate set within an architectural frame and flanking rustic branches typical of Black Forest carvings, intertwined with flowering branches of wild roses and a couple of love birds on a bed of clovers at the top.
Swiss, circa 1890
This mirror is a very unusual design for carvers of the Black Forest, incorporating an architectural frame alongside the naturalistic foliage. A documented jardinière includes comparable carvings of birds while a Brienz moon-shaped mirror displays the same carved roses.
Comparative Literature:
Blackman Peter F. Black Forest Woodcarvings : The History of Swiss Brienzerware. Schiffer Pub 2009, p.12 & p.278 showing related carvings of a planter and a mirror, respectively.