Vintage Carved Mahogany Mirror Mid 20th C

About the Item

This is a superb contemporary mirror, dating from the mid 20th Century. The mirror plate is within a boldly-carved mahogany frame with scrolling foliate and decoration. This is a very decorative item which will look amazing in any room. THE BOTANICAL NAME FOR THE MAHOGANY THIS ITEM IS MADE OF IS SWIETENIA MACROPHYLLA AND THIS TYPE OF MAHOGANY IS NOT SUBJECT TO CITES REGULATION. Condition: In excellent original condition, please see photos for confirmation of condition. Dimensions in cm: Height 122 x Width 67 x Depth 6 Dimensions in inches: Height 4 foot x Width 2 foot, 2 inches x Depth 2 inches Mirrors are commonly used for personal grooming or admiring oneself (in which case the archaic term looking-glass is sometimes still used), decoration, and architecture. The earliest manufactured mirrors were pieces of polished stone such as obsidian, a naturally occurring volcanic glass. In classical antiquity, mirrors were made of solid metal (bronze, later silver) and were too expensive for widespread use by common people; they were also prone to corrosion. Due to the low reflectivity of polished metal, these mirrors also gave a darker image than modern ones, making them unsuitable for indoor use with the artificial lighting of the time. The method of making mirrors out of plate glass was invented by 16th-century Venetian glassmakers on the island of Murano, who covered the back of the glass with mercury, obtaining near-perfect and undistorted reflection. For over one hundred years, Venetian mirrors installed in richly decorated frames served as luxury decorations for palaces throughout Europe, but the secret of the mercury process eventually arrived in London and Paris during the 17th century, due to industrial espionage. French workshops succeeded in large scale industrialization of the process, eventually making mirrors affordable to the masses. Our reference: A3012a

Dimensions:

Height: 48.04 in (122 cm)Width: 26.38 in (67 cm)Depth: 2.37 in (6 cm)

Materials and Techniques:

Mahogany,Carved

Period:

1950-1959

Date of Manufacture:

circa 1950

Condition:

Seller Location:

London, GB

Reference Number: