Description
This 19th-century Italian baroque-style mirror is made from giltwood, gilt gesso, and verre églomisé mirrored glass with ebonized wood. The gilt design on the mirror resembles the veining in traditional marble slabs, enhancing the baroque motifs and styling of the mirror frame. The baroque style is characterized by its elaborate and ornate details, often featuring intricate carvings, gilding, and dramatic contrasts. In this piece, the mirror frame includes detailed sculptural elements. The top is decorated with two ho-ho birds in relief surrounding a vase of flowers and scrolling foliate work. One bird has the beak open, the other closed. On the sides, the mirror features two prominent reliefs of nymphs reminiscent of the carvings on the famous monument ‘Fontaine des Innocents’, in Paris’s Les Halles district. The border is composed of a stacked running rose and rope motif. The upper and lower plaques display performative motifs, with musical instruments, birds, and a central drama mask symbolizing drama and theatricality.
This mirror is a masterful combination of gilt techniques and historical motifs, resulting in an aesthetic associated with Baroque design.
H=42.25 in. W=29 in. 2 in. 20 lbs.
