Provenance: Private Collection, Argentina; there acquired by
Mr. and Mrs. Ernest T. Harper, New York, by 1960; by descent to:
Mr. and Mrs. Alan Harper, New York, until 2024.
This extraordinary mirrored frame is an exuberant and nearly perfectly preserved example of Andean 18th-century decorative art. Pierced mirrored rosettes surrounding floral motifs are set against mirrored surrounds along a broad frieze bordered within and without by elaborate raised moldings, inlaid by small, shaped mirrors. Repeating ornamental motifs reflecting both Spanish and indigenous designs surround both the inside panel and the exterior perimeter, the four corners of which are punctuated by mirrored rosettes.
Glass mirrors were unknown to the indigenous population of the Americas prior to the arrival of Europeans (obsidian mirrors...
Category
18th Century Old Masters Glass Paintings
MaterialsCanvas, Mirror, Wood, Oil