Object Description
A finely carved antique ‘Cushion’ giltwood mirror in the Louis XIV style, circa 1870 in date.
The rectangular mirror is framed by egg and dart marginal side plates with the same inner frame.
The frame is surmounted with a striking carved giltwood central finial with doves, a flaming torch, a quiver of arrows and laurels and it features outset tassel and swag decoration. The lower section is adorned with a central cresting of laurel and tassels.
The giltwood mirror is a very decorative item which will look amazing and enhance the look of any room.
Condition:
In excellent condition, the frame having its been beautifully cleaned in our workshops, please see photos for confirmation.
Dimensions in cm:
Height 151 x Width 104 x Depth 5
Dimensions in inches:
Height 59.4 x Width 40.9 x Depth 2.0
Mirrors are commonly used for personal grooming or admiring oneself (in which case the archaic term looking-glass is sometimes still used), decoration, and architecture.
The earliest manufactured mirrors were pieces of polished stone such as obsidian, a naturally occurring volcanic glass. In classical antiquity, mirrors were made of solid metal (bronze, later silver) and were too expensive for widespread use by common people; they were also prone to corrosion. Due to the low reflectivity of polished metal, these mirrors also gave a darker image than modern ones, making them unsuitable for indoor use with the artificial lighting of the time.
The method of making mirrors out of plate glass was invented by 16th-century Venetian glassmakers on the island of Murano, who covered the back of the glass with mercury, obtaining near-perfect and undistorted reflection. For over one hundred years, Venetian mirrors installed in richly decorated frames served as luxury decorations for palaces throughout Europe, but the secret of the mercury process eventually arrived in London and Paris during the 17th century, due to industrial espionage. French workshops succeeded in large-scale industrialization of the process, eventually making mirrors affordable to the massed.
Our reference: 08791