Grand Scale Pair of 19th Century Oval Florentine Carved Giltwood Mirrors

A Rare and Unusual Pair of 18th Century Spanish Colonial 'Enconchado' Mirrors Veneered in Tortoiseshell and Inlaid With Bone and Mother of Pearl Made in Lima (Peru) or Mexico Circa 1720 Provenance One of the mirrors with a fragmentary label printed with "Bodmer", possibly relating to one of the branches of the Bodmer family in Switzerland, some of whom were renowned collectors of South American art The mirrors of rectangular form with ripple moulded outer borders framing tortoishell veneered inner borders inlaid with fine bone stringing and sinuous floral motifs inlaid in mother of pearl. The sight edges also veneered and inlaid with a repeating geometric motif. The mirrors are notable for the fine quality of the inlay, their unusually large size for this date, in particular the size of the plates themselves (possibly original) and the fact that they are a pair. The term 'Enconchado' comes from Spanish colonial art, particularly associated with Mexico, comprising of oil paintings inlaid with mother of pearl and other iridescent minerals. This form of art is discussed in great detail by Miguel Arisa in his essay Luminosity in Mexican Enconchado Paintings and Conceptions of the Sacred in Visual Culture and Indigenous Agency in the Early Americas, The Early Americas: History and Culture, Volume: 10 Chapter 4 (October 2021). He argues that the development of this style was an attempt to combine pre-Hispanic indigenous South American traditions regarding the sacred properties of "shiny objects" and "Baroque concepts of the miraculous", the sparkling inlay adding to the power of the European religious imagery. Mirrors such as the present pair are likewise cross-cultural objects, fusing European form and aesthetic concerns with indigenous craftsmanship to create objects of great prestige and decorative appeal. The ripple mouldings are clearly the result of a 17th century Dutch...

Finely carved mid 19th century Italian giltwood open armchair of wide proportions in the Rococo manner. Italy, Venice Circa 1860. The asymmetrical scroll and leaf-carved top rail, centred on a stylised shell within over scrolled uprights, above a newly upholstered grey silk padded and dished seat between scroll-ended arms, raised on a decorative foliate carved scrolling X-frame base with a conforming central stylised shell. In excellent condition having a wonderful look to the gilt work this gondola style chair...

A Very Fine and Early English Giltwood Rococo Mirror with Carved with Fronds and Green Bullrushes very much in the manner of John and William Linnell. English Circa 1760 Provenance...

A finely drawn pair of late 19th century giltwood and embossed leather side chairs in the George I Style. English Circa 1880-1900. Each having domed waisted embossed leathe...

A Fine Pair of Early 19th Century French Grand Tour Bronze and Siena Marble Tazzas of Interesting Design French Circa 1830 These beautiful tazzas stand on round bronze bases, cast...

A Fine and Decorative Pair of French Grand Tour Bronze and Siena Marble Tazzas of Large Scale French circa 1820 These fine tazzas retain an impressive patination and are of a well ...

A stunning large scale Italian mid 19th century Louis XVI st. giltwood mirror. The mirror retains its original mirror plate set within a beautiful finely carved mottled foliate band ...

Lovely 19th Century Florentine giltwood mirror.

Fabulous 19th century Italian Florentine carved wood and water gilt gold mirror.

This is a superb pair of antique Italian Florentine giltwood mirrors, circa 1870 in date. The oval mirrors plates are set within a Rococo boldly-carved scrolling acanthus frame, and they retain the original gilding. Florentine style refers to the art and architecture coming out of Florence, Italy during the Renaissance period. Florentine furniture is characterized by the heavy use of gold gilding on wood and very elaborate hand carved decoration. This impressive pair is certain to make a charming addition to that one special room in your home. Condition: In excellent condition having been beautifully cleaned and waxed in our workshops, please see photos for confirmation. Dimensions in cm: height 102 x width 63 x depth 4 Dimensions in inches: height 3 foot, 4 inches x width 2 feet, 1 inch x depth 2 inches Rococo Although Rococo is usually thought of as developing first in the decorative arts and interior design, its origins lie in the late Baroque architectural work of Borromini (1599–1667) mostly in Rome and Guarini (1624–1683) mostly in Northern Italy but also in Vienna, Prague, Lisbon, and Paris. Italian architects of the late Baroque/early Rococo were wooed to Catholic (Southern) Germany, Bohemia and Austria by local princes, bishops and prince-bishops. Inspired by their example, regional families of Central European builders went further, creating churches and palaces that took the local German Baroque style to the greatest heights of Rococo elaboration and sensation. An exotic but in some ways more formal type of Rococo appeared in France where Louis XIV's succession brought a change in the court artists and general artistic fashion. By the end of the king's long reign, rich Baroque designs were giving way to lighter elements with more curves and natural patterns. These elements are obvious in the architectural designs of Nicolas Pineau. During the Régence, court life moved away from Versailles...

This is a fabulous large 4ft antique Italian Florentine giltwood mirror, Circa 1880 in date. The oval mirror consists of a superbly carved cresting to the top and bottom, the frieze...

Pair of exquisite 19th century Italian rectangular carved giltwood mirrors. Each lovely mirror retains most of the original and rich gilt satin finish throughout with delicately carv...