Antique 19th Century Napoleon III French Oval Mirror

About the Item

A beautiful large oval mirror with rich ornaments and original facetted mirror plate. The mirror has a very warm antique look and feel. The mirror has an ornate top decoration with a central “fleur de lis” with floral elements. At the bottom, there is also a smaller decoration with acanthus and floral elements. This mirror is made in Southern France and it has a solid pine frame that was smoothened with gesso. The most elevated part of the frame features a floral engraving and the inner part is adorned with a Classic pearl beading. The ornaments were casted with the use of ground cattle bone and plaster, reinforced with steel wires. The mixture of these materials is used in early mirror frames. Before casting was common practice, ornaments were hand carved in wood. A time consuming process and with the growing demand for these mirrors, new production methods were introduced. Later on larger ornaments were casted in a single latex mold and the ornaments were made completely in plaster with a steel mesh reinforcement. This mirror frame has a pretty distressed color. It originally has a gold finish, with gold leaf and gold paint finish. The gold paint is largely gone and some parts show the light gesso used for smoothening. Also the color of the casting material and the red bole undertone shows on the frame. The mirror plate is authentic to the frame and it has a nice overall distressed appearance that matches the frame.

Dimensions:

Height: 57.09 in (145 cm)Width: 37.8 in (96 cm)Depth: 7.88 in (20 cm)

Style:

Napoleon III (Of the Period)

Materials and Techniques:

Gesso,Gold Leaf,Mirror,Pine

Place of Origin:

France

Period:

Mid-19th Century

Date of Manufacture:

circa 1840

Condition:

Repaired: The mirror has undergone repairs to both top and bottom ornaments. Some missing parts were recreated and loose parts were fixed. Restored parts were touched up to match the overall color of the frame. Lots of dust was cleaned from the inside of the m. Wear consistent with age and use.

Seller Location:

Casteren, NL

Reference Number:

1stDibs: LU970916938131

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