A Mid-18thC Italian Giltwood Wall Mirror c.1760
SOLD
Origin: Italian
Period: Mid-18thC
Provenance: Unknown
Date: c.1760
Height: 38.5”
Width: 30.75”
Depth: 1.75” (all at extremities)
The distressed but beautifully evocative eighteenth century carved giltwood wall mirror, retaining the original gilded decoration on an inner moulded frame carved with vines to a pierced crested three quarter surround surmount, the original mercury glass rectangular mirror plate now beautifully foxed, though with damages, the whole surviving from the third quarter of eighteenth century central Italy.
The mirror is in decorative and distressed condition and is attractive in its originality and the fact it has not been re-gilded or meddled with. The outer pierced frame is fragile but largely intact. The original thick mercury glass plate is foxed beautifully with two fissures to it which have been repaired. There are later strut braces to the reverse to give it more stability, please refer to the photographs for a full visual reference.
The seventeenth and eighteenth centuries saw the development of decorative mirrors in Italy. The cylinder process, where cylinders of glass were blown then split open and laid flat, had some limitations meaning that only small plates could be made, so several pieces of glass would be used to create a single mirror. This is actually quite a large piece of single glass.
An achingly beautiful reminder of the passing of time and a great statement piece; now more of a painting than a mirror.
Period: Mid-18thC
Provenance: Unknown
Date: c.1760
Height: 38.5”
Width: 30.75”
Depth: 1.75” (all at extremities)
The distressed but beautifully evocative eighteenth century carved giltwood wall mirror, retaining the original gilded decoration on an inner moulded frame carved with vines to a pierced crested three quarter surround surmount, the original mercury glass rectangular mirror plate now beautifully foxed, though with damages, the whole surviving from the third quarter of eighteenth century central Italy.
The mirror is in decorative and distressed condition and is attractive in its originality and the fact it has not been re-gilded or meddled with. The outer pierced frame is fragile but largely intact. The original thick mercury glass plate is foxed beautifully with two fissures to it which have been repaired. There are later strut braces to the reverse to give it more stability, please refer to the photographs for a full visual reference.
The seventeenth and eighteenth centuries saw the development of decorative mirrors in Italy. The cylinder process, where cylinders of glass were blown then split open and laid flat, had some limitations meaning that only small plates could be made, so several pieces of glass would be used to create a single mirror. This is actually quite a large piece of single glass.
An achingly beautiful reminder of the passing of time and a great statement piece; now more of a painting than a mirror.