Skip to main content
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 6

William & Mary Marquetry Mirror

$78,500
£59,622.68
€68,576.99
CA$109,679.89
A$122,305.48
CHF 63,813.79
MX$1,500,734.39
NOK 812,247.86
SEK 769,587.20
DKK 511,815.45
Shipping
Retrieving quote...
The 1stDibs Promise:
Authenticity Guarantee,
Money-Back Guarantee,
24-Hour Cancellation

About the Item

Mirror glass was a particular luxury during the latter 17th century, for it was in short supply and, at the time, only produced and exported from Italy. A large example such as this incredibly rare William and Mary mirror would have belonged to a family of great wealth and prestige. Since the process to produce mirrored glass was so costly and labor-intensive, the frames that surrounded these treasured items were important in both function and design. Crafted by cabinet-maker Hugh Granger, this remarkable mirror is distinguished not only by its exceptional cushioned frame, adorned in elaborate marquetry of fruitwood and sycamore, but also by the fact that it is signed by its maker. An exquisite example of 17th century English quality construction and design, this mirror also features its original silvered glass. Though the reign of William and Mary lasted only a few short years, this era ushered in a distinctive style of furniture and furniture-making that still bears their name. William and Mary furnishings represented a more refined way of living, replacing heavy and often cumbersome pieces of furniture from the previous decades. Furnishings from this period are extremely rare and highly collectible, as is the case with this exceptionally fine mirror. Amazingly after over 300 years, it remains in fine condition, clearly retaining its intricate detailing and incredible depth of color. Previously with a cresting, the reverse with label reading “All sorts of Fashionable Household Goods at Reasonable rates Made by Hugh Granger at the Carved Angel in Aldermanbury.” Circa 1695 Measures: 35” high x 30 3/4” wide x 3 1/4" deep Hugh Granger was a cabinet-maker who could be found at the sign of “The Carved Angel,” Aldermanbury, London (1692-1706). Trade labels made by him with the inscription “Fashionable Household Goods at Reasonable rates” have been found pasted to the few high-quality items of late 17th and early 18th century furniture known to exist. Towards the end of the reign of Charles II, mirrors of this type occupied a conspicuous position in luxuriously appointed rooms, placed between windows (with a table and pair of stands below them). Frames were made from a variety of materials, ranging from veneers of walnut, olive, laburnum, and other fruitwoods to ebony, tortoise-shell, and silver. During the reign of Queen Mary and her Dutch husband King William III, Dutch and German craftsmen came to England as part of the Protestant exodus from continental Europe, and brought with them a number of important furniture forms and techniques including exotic veneers and inlay decoration. Though this style reached the height of its popularity during the late 17th and early 18th centuries, to find inlaid furnishings from this period is rare. To find such a delicate item as a mirror in such exquisite condition is truly extraordinary.
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 35 in (88.9 cm)Width: 30.75 in (78.11 cm)Depth: 3.25 in (8.26 cm)
  • Style:
    William and Mary (Of the Period)
  • Materials and Techniques:
  • Place of Origin:
  • Period:
  • Date of Manufacture:
    circa 1695
  • Condition:
  • Seller Location:
    New Orleans, LA
  • Reference Number:
    Seller: 29-30031stDibs: LU891130654132

More From This Seller

View All
Flemish Baroque Tortoiseshell Mirro
By Flemish
Located in New Orleans, LA
This monumental 17th-century Flemish mirror is crafted in the grand Baroque style. The magnificent frame is veneered in exquisite tortoiseshell with wave-moulded bands of ebony providing a flawless accent. Tortoiseshell and ebony were both among the most precious and coveted materials of the 17th century, and are used to their utmost effect in this exceptionally rare looking glass. Flemish glassworkers enjoyed a reputation of excellence beginning in the 16th century. These skillful craftsmen are credited with the invention of the tin-mercury method of mirror-making, a process that made polished metal mirrors obsolete. They employed and excelled in a number of decorative techniques in creating the frames, including marquetry, japanning (Dutch and Flemish japanning was of the highest quality, surpassing even the English), and the use of tortoiseshell veneering...
Category

Antique 17th Century Baroque Wall Mirrors

Materials

Tortoise Shell, Mirror, Ebony

19th-Century Italian Giltwood Mirror
Located in New Orleans, LA
The exquisite details of this hand-carved Italian giltwood mirror are matched in grandeur by its notable size. Nearly 3 feet tall by 3 feet wide, this mirror is an extraordinary feas...
Category

Antique 19th Century Italian Rococo Wall Mirrors

Materials

Mirror, Giltwood

19th Century Napoleon III Giltwood Mirror
Located in New Orleans, LA
Grand in size and decoration, this exceptional Napoleon III-period mirror is further set apart by an elaborate giltwood frame that features decorative elements such as garlands, dove...
Category

Antique 19th Century French Napoleon III Wall Mirrors

Materials

Mirror, Giltwood

Chinese Export Silver Mirror
Located in New Orleans, LA
This exquisite Chinese export silver mirror is a work of exotic beauty. Elegantly shaped and monumental in size, this looking glass is held within ...
Category

Early 20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Table Mirrors

Materials

Silver

Louis XV Giltwood Mirrored Girandoles
Located in New Orleans, LA
This incredibly rare pair of Louis XV-period giltwood mirrored girandoles capture the grandeur, grace and opulence of the Rococo movement in the decorative arts. Each opulent mirror is exquisitely framed with voluminous flourishes of naturalistic motifs exemplary of the Louis XV era’s organic, deliberately asymmetrical stylings. Holding four candles each, these outstanding mirrored girandoles would have decoratively flanked a room of the period elegantly, illuminating the giltwood lustrously and providing ambient light reflected in the mirrored glass. Mirrors have long played an integral role in decorative design, often serving as focal points of a room. Dating back to the 13th century, the first French looking glasses were very small, yet enormously precious. Because these early mirrors...
Category

Antique 18th Century French Louis XV Girandoles

Materials

Mirror, Giltwood

Meissen Porcelain Mirror
By Meissen Porcelain
Located in New Orleans, LA
Lavish Meissen porcelain serves as the extraordinary frame for this mirror. Exquisitely hand-painted in polychrome with gilt accents, the bountiful fr...
Category

Antique 19th Century German Rococo Wall Mirrors

Materials

Porcelain, Mirror

You May Also Like

Exceptional 18th Century Marquetry Mirror in the William and Mary style
Located in Hastings, GB
An outstanding deep set marquetry cushion mirror, 18th century in the William and Mary style, inlaid with figures of wild boar, hare, stag, deer and fox set among foliage & scroll wo...
Category

Antique 1720s English William and Mary Wall Mirrors

Materials

Canvas, Wood

Dutch Baroque-Style Carved Wood Mirror
Located in Pasadena, CA
This is a superb early to mid-20th century Dutch Baroque-style mirror. The mirror frame is beautifully carved in the iconic Dutch Baroque-style with a wide 4" frame decorated in the ...
Category

Mid-20th Century Dutch Baroque Wall Mirrors

Materials

Mirror, Wood

Great Carved and Polychromed Italian Mirror
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
GREAT CARVED AND POLYCHROMED ITALIAN MIRROR   ORIGIN : ITALY PERIOD : 17th CENTURY   Height : 103 cm Width :  89 cm Depth : 10 cm   Walnut wood   Th...
Category

Antique 17th Century Italian Baroque Wall Mirrors

Materials

Wood, Walnut

19th Century French Gilded Wooden Mirror
Located in High Point, NC
This 19th Century French gilded wooden mirror exudes classical elegance with its richly ornamented frame and warm, aged patina. The surround is adorned with finely cast floral and fo...
Category

Antique 19th Century French Wall Mirrors

Materials

Wood

19th Century French Napoleon III Style Parecloses Mirror
Located in Austin, TX
A unique 19th century French Napoleon III style parecloses mirror with beautiful proportions and a unique frame design. This authentic mirror features wonderful brass ornamentations and finishes, stunning wood carvings, and a mirror glass in fine condition. The brass arabesques on each corner of the mirror penetrate through the successive hand carved wood frames and really give an impressive sense of structure to the piece as a whole. This type of Napoleon III mirror is known as “parecloses” which was a highly prized type of mirror design in the 19th century imported from Venice. This design is characterized by the overall largeness of the mirror with a first large frame that contained smaller frames within its structure and each displaying unique ornamental finishes and carvings. This Napoleon III antique mirror...
Category

Antique Mid-19th Century French Napoleon III Wall Mirrors

Materials

Brass

Mirror In Carved And Gilded Wood Louis XVI Period XVIII
Located in Brussels, Brussels
Rectangular mirror in carved and gilded wood Louis XVI XVIII period. Frame formed by finely carved moldings with a frieze of pearls and a frieze of velvet Mercury mirror and original...
Category

Antique Late 18th Century French Louis XVI Wall Mirrors

Materials

Giltwood