Napoleon III French Mirror in Gold Leaf Wood

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Napoleon III French Mirror in Gold Leaf Wood

About the Item

We kindly suggest you read the whole description, because with it we try to give you detailed technical and historical information to guarantee the authenticity of our objects. Elegant rectangular wooden frame with mercury mirror; the frame was treated with the technique of "leaf gilding": the "bolo Armeno" (red pigmented clay powder, mixed with glue) was spread, once dried, we proceeded with the application of very thin gold leaves; particular and elaborate workings present on the rest of the frame are obtained with the procedure called “pastiglia". The "pastiglia" processing, the fruit of the ancient artisan tradition, was born in Italy in the late 15th century, remains in use for most of the 17th century, and then continued in the 19th century. The "pastiglia" consisted of a mixture of gypsum (calcium carbonate), vegetable-gluey resins, honey, linseed oil, and often marble dust. On the wooden support a veil of cloth was glued and subsequently various states of "pastiglia" were spread, this was then imprinted or engraved, or finely modeled, usually, the decorative motifs were in bas-relief, then the whole was allowed to harden and in the end, it was applied the gilding. After these processes, a light layer of purpurin was applied to the frame to uniform the surface of the wood. The mirror is a very important part, in fact, it was made with the ancient technique of mercury, which consisted of depositing the metal over a series of layers of tin flattened on the glass, the mercury was then smoothed and polished with a special stone and buffered, the resulting mixture was called "bright silver". This technique was developed by the Venetian Glass Masters (Maestro Dal Gallo 1507); the Venetian Republic placed the processing under secret, but over time it leaked from the city and spread to European nations, first of all, France: The Gallery of Mirrors in the Castle of Versailles is decorated with hundreds of mercury mirrors! The imperfections of our mirror, the small spots, its veiled superficial patina, and the tin-plated back, attest to its antiquity and authenticity, making it a unique, useful, and beautiful furnishing accessory. Handcrafted in France in 1855 during the reign of Napoleon III. The mirror is in good condition. Measures: 86 x 81 x 6 cm. For all our shipments we use special packaging materials (wooden crates, styrofoam, etc.) for maximum protection and safety of the objects.

Dimensions:
Height: 31.89 in (81 cm)Width: 33.86 in (86 cm)Depth: 2.37 in (6 cm)
Style:
Napoleon III (Of the Period)
Materials and Techniques:
Mercury Glass,Wood,Gilt,Other
Place of Origin:
France
Period:
Mid-19th Century
Date of Manufacture:
1855
Condition:
Wear consistent with age and use. The mirror is in good condition.
Seller Location:
Prato, IT
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU4632223005212