Breathtaking vintage (approx. 80 years old) Italian venetian mirror with beautiful deeply cut and etched decorations and canted corners as an extra, added bit of even more eye candy. This wonderful mirror could easily be utilized a number of places, be it the entry foyer welcoming you and your guests, hanging over a desk or table making a delightful vanity or dressing table, or above the sink on her side of the master bath. Whatever you choose, this fine mirror is sure to delight your senses. In very good condition for it's age, it does have some age spots and minor darkening in a couple of places though, no cracks or such--see close-ups.
The history of mirrors starts in III Century B.C. Most ancient mirrors were made from metal and had a round shape. The back side of the ancient mirrors were beautifully embellished with ornamentation. Mirrors were made from highly polished bronze and silver. The first glass mirrors were invented in I Century by Romans.
From ancient times special qualities had been given to mirrors, that no other object had. The Greek philosopher Socrates gave advice to young men to look at themselves in the mirror, and those who were handsome should focus their life on keeping their souls clean and stay away from the temptations of life that could take them on the wrong path. If a young man would find that he is not handsome, he should compensate for his look from his heart, and get known for doing a lot of good things.
In the Medieval period glass mirrors completely disappeared, because during those times religious confessions believed that the devil was looking and watching the world from the opposite side. Poor fashionable ladies had to use a polished metal mirror or special water bowls instead of glass mirrors.
Glass mirrors came back only in 13th century. This time they were bent slightly outward making them convex. The method of attaching tin to the flat surface of the glass wasn't invented yet. Using available technology master glaziers poured hot tin into glass tubs, and when the tin was cold, they would break it into pieces. Only three centuries later Venetian masters invented a "flat mirror technique". They figured out how to attach tin to a flat glass surface. Venetian masters invented another trick, they created a special reflective mixture in which gold and bronze was added. Because of this "magical" mixture all objects reflecting in the mirrors looked much more beautiful than actual reality. The cost of one Venetian mirror was at the time comparable to the cost of the large naval ship.
