Antique Shield Shaped Venetian Mirror 19th Century 69x37cm

This is a delightful small Venetian glass etched mirror, circa 1880 in date.

This mirror has a large rose cartouche crest and is finely shield shaped with bead trim, rope styled borders, and flower-head accents. Wonderfully hand-etched with scrolling vines and flying birds .

This is a very elegant mirror and it is assured to receive the maximum amount of attention wherever it is hung.

Condition:

In excellent condition. As an antique item, the mirror show signs of use commensurate with age, these minor condition issues are mentioned for accuracy and, as seen in the accompanying photographs, it displays beautifully.

Dimensions in cm:

Height 69 x Width 37 x Depth 3.5

Dimensions in inches:

Height 2 foot, 3 inches x Width 1 foot, 3 inches x Depth 1 inch

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: A2989

Internal Ref:

A2989

Date of manufacture : 19th Century