Object Description
A Large and Impressive Hand-Carved Table Mirror
In the Louis XVI Style
The carved giltwood mirror of Neoclassical symmetrical design, having a swivelling oval mirror with bevelled glass, housed within a pearl beaded frame surmounted by a cabochon flanked by trailing floral garlands, supported to either side by winged putti terms and a pair of ribbon-tied Victory laurel branches. The plinth support raised on six bun feet, the corners carved with rosettes, and the frieze carved with Vitruvian scrolls and a central lambrequin motif.
French, 1860
This mirror was made at the height of the Napoleon III period, when the second French empire was in full swing. The emperor’s wife, Empress Eugénie, obsessed with the 18th century’s Queen Marie Antoinette, promoted a return to pre-revolutionary neoclassical styles, such as those favoured by Louis XVI. With its acanthus scrolls, Vitruvian waves and symmetrical laurel leaves, this object embodies these Greco-roman inspired ideals perfectly.