Object Description
This is an impressive antique William IV giltwood overmantel mirror, circa 1830 in date.
The elegant rectangular shaped frame features spheres and flower heads within octagonal frames to the frieze and is flanked by lions masks, over cluster columns, the mirror glass features a beaded rim.
It is certain to make a charming addition to that one special room in your home.
Condition:
In excellent condition having been beautifully cleaned in our workshops.
Dimensions in cm:
Height 73 x Width 143 x Depth 10
Dimensions in inches:
Height 28.7 x Width 56.3 x Depth 3.9
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 masses.
Our reference: 09080