MIRROR MIRROR ... THE HISTORY OF THE MIRROR LARA L'VOV-BASIROV The mirror has long been a crucial component of interior decorative schemes. Throughout history it has been highly prized as an important and valuable possession, often acting as the focal point for a room. A clear indication of its historical significance is apparent in the production of increasingly elaborate frames, a practice which evolved out of the original need to protect the precious mirror surface. Mirror-making has, for the most part, been an expensive, complex, and often dangerous process. Legend dictates that the concept of the mirror was formed in the ancient Himalayas when a woman perceived her own reflection in a pool of water. The very earliest manufactured mirrors were made from polished stone such as obsidian, a naturally occuring volcanic glass. Such examples date to 6000 BC in Anatolia (modern-day Turkey). The first examples construced from polished metal appear in Mesopotamia from 4000 BC, and in ancient Egypt and China from 2000 BC. These were predominantly made from circular pieces of copper and bronze, and were owned exclusively by the most prestigious members of society.
A very early example of a mirror, reportedly from Aswan, Egypt, silver and copper alloy, c.1479-1390 BC, Brooklyn Museum, New York Height : 25 cm 10 inches Width : 14 cm 6 inches
In the first century AD, the Romans introduced the first mirrors made from glass. This was a momentous development since the naturally smooth surface of glass was able to facilitate much clearer reflections. In particular they favoured brown glass backed with lead. With the expansion of the Roman Empire came the rapid increase in the production of mirrors throughout their settlements and by the fifth century, craftsmen were using combinations of silver and mercury in order to produce far clearer and more reflective glass. During the Medieval period (approximately AD 500-1500), there was very little progress in the manufacture of mirrors throughout Europe. The first recorded guild of mirror makers was established in 1373 in the German town of Nuremberg and indeed it was in late Medieval Germany where the process of manufacturing flat panes of clear glass began. These techniques evolved over the years and were perfected by the Venetians in the sixteenth century who were, by then, producing highly ornate frames and bevelled edges. The most talented Venetian glassmakers were confined to the small island of Murano. They vehemently guarded their techniques and any compromise of this secrecy resulted in imprisonment and sometimes even execution. By this time mirrors had become popular and valuable collectables amongst royals: King Henry VIII of England and King Francis I of France, in particular, were avid collectors of mirrors. In 1637 three Murano glassmakers were bribed and smuggled into France where they revealed the Venetians’ secrets. In this way, the Italian monopoly on mirror-making had ended. The French gradually improved upon the Venetian techniques and had, before long, established new methods for casting large sheets of flat glass. Shortly after this invention, work began on the magnificent Hall of Mirrors in the Palace of Versailles. Three hundred and fifty-seven mirrors were produced for the room, an unprecedented achievement in the history of mirror-making.
Hall of Mirrors, Palace of Versailles, 1678-1684
Glass mirrors were by now an essential component to an aristocratic lady’s toilette. In France, they were possibly even considered her most cherished and luxurious possession, as evidenced by Countess de Fiesque’s remark in the late seventeenth century that ‘I had a nasty piece of land that bought it nothing but wheat; I sold it and in return I got this beautiful mirror.’ Mirrors were very popular in France, particularly among upper class women for use within the intimate space of her boudoir. These are two exquisite examples of French mirrors used in this way.
A gilt and patinated bronze dressing table mirror supported by playful putti and raised on a rouge griotte marble base. French, Circa 1870
An exceptional Louis XVI style silver-gilt and cut-glass travel nécessaire by Boin Taburet. Paris, Circa 1880
Height : 42 cm 17 inches Width : 20 cm 8 inches Depth : 11 cm 4 inches
Height : 19 cm 7 inches Width : 61 cm 24 inches Depth : 71 cm 28 inches
As France moved into the eighteenth century, the Rocaille gradually began to supplant the Baroque, and by the 1730s it had become the dominant style throughout French culture. A byproduct of this stylistic shift was the increasing use of both ebony inlay and gilt bronze, and this can be seen in the two mirrors below. The left-hand example is set within a magnificent ebonised tortoiseshell and brass inlaid boulle frame with Sèvres style porcelain plaques and gilt-bronze mounts. The spectacular Napoléon III gilt-bronze and ebony bevelled mirror on the right similarly showcases the French predilection for these techniques.
An impressive Napoléon III gilt-bronze and ebony bevelled mirror. French, Circa 1850
A fine ebonised and boulle inlaid overmantel mirror with Sèvres style porcelain plaques. French, Circa 1860
Height : 229 cm 90 inches Width : 169 cm 67 inches
Height : 182 cm 72 inches Width : 153 cm 60 inches Depth : 7 cm 3 inches
In eighteenth-century Italy, Baroque sensibilities still prevailed and mirrors were frequently produced on an immense scale, as demonstrated by this very large, Baroque style mirror.
A large and Baroque style carved giltwood mirror. Italian, Circa 1870 Height : 252 cm 99 inches Width : 174 cm 69 inches
In Northern Europe, the dominant style during this time was Rococo, which was taken, adapted, and often exaggerated, from the French Rocaille. The German examples below showcase numerous features associated with the Rococo, including exuberant ‘C’ scrolls, fronded and scrolling acanthus, finely carved silver gilt flowers on the left, and carved wheat sheaf and entwined foliate forms surmounted by an openwork Rococo cartouche on the right.
A large and impressive Rococo style carved giltwood and silver gilt mirror. Possibly German, Circa 1870
A very fine carved giltwood mirror. German, Circa 1860
Height : 274 cm 108 inches Width : 177 cm 70 inches
Height : 246 cm 97 inches Width : 137 cm 54 inches
England in the eighteenth century was an important centre for the design and manufacture of mirrors. Over the course of the century, a new breed of furniture makers emerged, who took their lead from French designers. Of the most important were Thomas Chippendale (1718-1779) and Thomas Johnson (1714-1778) who both published important pattern books, disseminating their designs to a wealthy and educated elite.
Thomas Chippendale, who is possibly history’s most famous furniture maker, published his book of designs, The Gentlemen and Cabinet-Makers’ Director in 1754. The ‘Director’ was the most influential pattern book of its kind in eighteenth-century England, and featured one hundred and forty-seven engraved plates in the Gothic, Chinese, and Rococo styles as well as a series of plain domestic pieces. It immediately became an important reference point not only for craftsmen, but also as a guide for ‘genteel’ taste which was rapidly embracing the new style of the Rococo and the exoticism of Chinoiserie. As such, Chippendale’s name has become synonymous with all Director-style furniture. It was reprinted in 1755, and revised and enlarged in 1762 with additional plates in the new Neoclassical style.
Such pattern books had a profound influence on mirror-making in England and in the New Colonies. While there are instances of plates being meticulously copied by craftsmen, they were not intended to be slavishly followed and more typically acted as inspiration. Indeed, patterns were usually illustrated in more than one variation on the left and right side of each page.
The fanciful evocations of Chinoiserie combined well with the lightness and whimsical playfulness of the Rococo and rapidly became the height of fashion in 1740s London, popularised and disseminated through pattern books. The nineteenth century witnessed a revival of the Rococo style in England and furniture makers were again turning to the designs of the eighteenthcentury designers. In this way, exotic Chinoiserie styles came once more to the fore and many fine examples based on specific plates in pattern books were created.
For example, this nineteenth-century pair of Chinoiserie pier glasses below derives from plate 143 in the first edition of Chippendale’s ‘Director’. Pier glasses are large mirrors designed to hang on the wall or ‘pier’ between windows. As well as their decorative qualities, they provided an important functional advantage of reflecting and maximising the light emanating from candles or oil lamps in the evening. These examples are richly carved with acanthus leaves, 'C' and 'S'scrolls, perching Ho-Ho Birds, and a rustic Chinese figure within a fanciful pagoda.
An exceptional pair of finely carved Chippendale Director style Chinoiserie pier glasses. English, Circa 1860 Height : 240 cm 94 inches Width : 185 cm 73 inches Depth : 12 cm 5 inches
Plate 143 from Chippendale’s The Gentlemen and Cabinet-Makers’ Director, 1754
Thomas Johnson, who was similarly influential, was particularly celebrated for his fanciful combinations of Rococo, Chinoiserie and rustic motifs. He was one of the most successful exponents of the Rococo style in England, imbuing his designs with a rare vitality that was not seen in the work of other designers. In the 1750s he published several hugely influential books of designs including ‘Twelve Girandoles’ in 1755, ‘The Book of the Carver’ in 1758, and ‘One Hundred and Fifty New Designs’ in 1761. In his designs, Johnson frequently included scenes based on Francis Barlow’s illustrations of Aesop’s Fables, a feature which is present in the below mirror in the form of carved animals in its pendant. The divided mirror plate has a swan’s neck cresting which centres on a finely carved female mask and shell. The sides of the frame are embellished with foliate ‘C’ and ‘S’ scrolls.
A very fine large carved giltwood Rococo mirror, after Thomas Johnson. English, Circa 1820 Height : 237 cm 93 inches Width : 124 cm 49 inches Depth : 22 cm 9 inches
Another design after Johnson is showcased in this George III mirror, dating to around fifty years later, and deriving from a pattern in his ‘Collection of Designs’, 1758 (plate 4; left side), also reissued in ‘One Hundred and Fifty New Designs’, 1761 (plate 22). The inclusion of the squirrel within the arched cresting is a patent derivation from Johnson’s style and can be directly related to those on mirrors, after another of his designs, at Corsham Court, Wiltshire. The mirror panel is surrounded by Rocaille carved rockwork and C-scrolls.
A George III style giltwood mirror in the manner of Thomas Johnson. English, Circa 1870 Height : 215 cm 85 inches Width : 125 cm 49 inches Depth : 10 cm 4 inches
Plate 4 (left side) from Johnson’s ‘Collection of Designs’, 1758 and Plate 22 from his ‘One Hundred and Fifty New Designs’, 1761
Similarly, this George II style pier mirror below originates from a design by Johnson in both his 'Collection of Designs', 1758, and his ‘One Hundred and Fifty New Designs’, 1761, plate 8. Here, the playful sense of movement, Rococo features, and the inclusion of animals are entirely consistent with Johnson’s oeuvre.
A George II Style giltwood pier mirror, after a design by Thomas Johnson. French, Circa 1870 Height : 292 cm 115 inches Width : 157 cm 62 inches
Plate from Johnson’s ‘Collection of Designs’, 1758 and Plate 8 from his ‘One Hundred and Fifty New Designs’, 1761
In the second half of the eighteenth century the Neoclassical style came to the fore in England and subsequently permeated Europe and the New Colonies. Championed by Robert Adam, Neoclassicism stemmed predominantly from architectural rediscoveries at the recent excavations of Pompeii and Herculaneum. New approaches to the interior were based on an attempt to recreate an authentically Roman decorative vocabulary with techniques including the use of flatter and lighter motifs, slender arabesques, low frieze-like sculpted reliefs, and isolated motifs such as medallions and vases suspended on swags of laurel or ribbon. Brothers Robert and James Adam travelled in Italy and Dalmatia in the 1750s and this brought them face to face with ruins from the classical world. On their return to England they set about attempting to simplify the Baroque and Rococo styles which had prevailed in the preceding decades, in order to bring a lighter feel to Georgian interiors. The influence of the ‘Adam style’ in England persisted for over a century, as demonstrated by this splendid pair of George II style Neoclassical pier mirrors below. Pier glasses were an important element of Adam’s unified interior schemes and indeed these examples incorporate many of the characteristic elements of his designs from the 1770s.
A fine pair of 19th-Century George III style, Neoclassical pier mirrors, in the manner of Robert Adam. English, Circa 1900 Height : 183 cm 72 inches Width : 91 cm 36 inches Depth : 7 cm 3 inches
Significantly, it was in the first half of the nineteenth century that mirror-making was to undergo a momentous change. In 1835, German chemist Justus von Liebig invented the process of manufacturing mirrors with silvered-glass. This discovery dispensed with the need for toxic mercury and adapted mirror-making for mass production, which in turn greatly increased their accessibility. The mirror has certainly evolved over the centuries yet its importance and prestige endures. It was in the nineteenth century that mirror-making reached its zenith, with highly skilled craftsmen creating unprecedentedly elaborate and sophisticated mirrors. The very best examples from this period are unsurpassed in terms of quality and design, and such mirrors have become very rare and highly sought after.
Finding The Right Mirror When selecting any mirror for your interior, there are a number of factors to consider, including its size, design, condition, the materials from which it is made, and the size of the room. It is important to keep in mind that it does not take up space within a room, but, on the contrary, provides the illusion of an enlarged space. Smaller rooms in particular feel instantly larger with the addition of a mirror. Indeed, pier mirrors are often positioned between windows in order to maximise light reflections in the room. In the evenings especially, artificial light reflected in mirrors creates an attractive reversal between night and day. Therefore, do not necessarily assume that a small room will better accommodate a small mirror; just the reverse is often true. It must be noted that antique mirror glass is very rarely flawless: silvering is commonly worn, and small losses may be present. Whilst it is possible to re-silver an original glass, small blemishes often lend greater character and charm to a mirror, as well as reflecting its history. It is also necessary to consider whether the mirror’s frame will be visually compatible with the rest of your interior. Check, too, for consistency in the frame’s patina as significant discoloration or variegated patches might indicate inadequate restoration. In period interiors, the mirror remains an important feature, completing the decorative scheme with a sophisticated and impressive focal point. Similarly, in modern interiors, the mirror can play a significant role in the form of a striking statement piece. In today’s climate of mass production, it is easy to overlook the historical value and importance of mirrors. Yet, if you possess a good eye for beauty, you will undoubtedly recognise and appreciate the allure of a fine antique mirror. It is essential to be sure of the mirror’s age, quality, and authenticity, and it is therefore very important to seek professional advice. Possessing one of the largest selections of nineteenth-century mirrors in the world, we would be delighted to assist you in finding the perfect one for your home.
A very fine Empire gilt and patinated bronze mounted mahogany Cheval Mirror or 'Psyché'. French, Circa 1820. Height : 232 cm 91 inches Width : 111 cm 44 inches Depth : 73 cm 29 inches
A fine Louis XVI style carved giltwood hexagonal, marginal framed mirror. French, Circa 1870 Height : 158 cm 62 inches Width : 123 cm 48 inches Depth : 13 cm 5 inches
An important Louis XV style gilt-bronze and ivory dressing mirror by Duvinage & Maison Giroux. French, Circa 1880 Height : 44 cm 17 inches Width : 30 cm 12 inches Depth : 4 cm 2 inches
An Empire style mahogany and parcel gilt overmantel mirror by ‘Alix A Paris’. French, Circa 1880 Height : 216 cm 85 inches Width : 103 cm 41 inches Depth : 11 cm 4 inches
A fine Louis XIV style carved giltwood marginal frame mirror. French, Circa 1890 Height : 197 cm 78 inches Width : 150 cm 59 inches Depth : 12 cm 5 inches
A finely carved Louis XVI style marginal frame giltwood mirror. French, Circa 1890 Height : 204 cm 80 inches Width : 125 cm 49 inches Depth : 18 cm 7 inches
A fine Louis XVI style carved giltwood mirror, the cresting carved with a portrait roundel of a young man in profile. French, Circa 1890 Height : 228 cm 90 inches Width : 116 cm 46 inches Depth : 12 cm 5 inches
A fine and decorative Italian giltwood mirror carved with allegorical figures of the continents and the seasons. Italian, Circa 1860 Height : 195 cm 77 inches Width : 111 cm 44 inches Depth : 5 cm 2 inches
A monumental Venetian carved ebonised mirror with playful putti, attributed to Valentino Panciera Besarel (Venice, 1829-1902) in the manner of Andrea Brustolon (1662-1732). Italian, Circa 1870 Height : 205 cm 81 inches Width : 160 cm 63 inches Depth : 22 cm 9 inches
A fine and ornate Rococo style giltwood mirror. Italian, Circa 1890 Height : 214 cm 84 inches Width : 135 cm 53 inches Depth : 10 cm 4 inches
A fine pair of Italian Rococo style carved giltwood console tables and mirrors by C. Bournique & C. / Solei Hebert. Italian Circa 1890 Height : 217 cm 85 inches Width : 140 cm 55 inches Depth : 25 cm 10 inches
An impressive and large tortoiseshell mirror in the seventeenth-century style. Flemish, Circa 1830 Height : 157 cm 62 inches Width : 122 cm 48 inches Depth : 9 cm 4 inches
A decorative carved giltwood overmantel mirror. English, Circa 1890 Height : 163 cm 64 inches Width : 245 cm 96 inches
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