Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at Young V&A
Imagine Gallery, The Living Room, Case 3

Mirror

ca. 1860 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Although this mirror is set on a base of carved wood, it is largely made up of stag horns from two different species of deer, arranged with goat horns and boar tusks. Such furniture, which may seem rather gruesome to modern taste, was extremely fashionable in the middle of the 19th century, but it must always have been expensive and thus confined to a small market. Victorians were quite unworried about the conservation of natural species and readily used feathers for their hats and stuffed birds and animals for interior decoration, with animal-skin rugs on the floors. This kind of furniture was considered suitable for hunting lodges, where the day might be passed in stalking and shooting the kind of animals from which such furnishings were made. Antler and horn furniture was available throughout northern Europe and in North America but it seems to have been particularly popular in the German states. The best-known manufacturer, who exhibited at several of the international exhibitions, was H.F.C. Rampendahl of Hamburg.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Two varieties of deer antlers, boar tusks and goat horns on a base of carved wood
Brief description
Mirror with frame composed of deer antlers, horns and boar tusks, set on a wooden ground.; German, Hamburg?, 1855-60, horn, antlers, teeth
Physical description
A wall mirror, framed with deer antlers, set symmetrically round the glass
Dimensions
  • Height: 66cm
  • Width: 78cm
  • Depth: 76cm
Gallery label
ARMCHAIR AND MIRROR Manufacturer: attributed to H. F. Rampendahl Hamburg (?): about 1860 Horn, antlers and teeth of various species of deer, the armchair with its original green velvet upholstery W.1&4-1970 'American and European Art and Design 1800-1900' Part of a suite which also includes a sofa and a second armchair, these pieces of antler furniture exemplify a widespread taste, groups being shown at both the 1851 and 1862 exhibitions.(1987-2006)
Subject depicted
Summary
Although this mirror is set on a base of carved wood, it is largely made up of stag horns from two different species of deer, arranged with goat horns and boar tusks. Such furniture, which may seem rather gruesome to modern taste, was extremely fashionable in the middle of the 19th century, but it must always have been expensive and thus confined to a small market. Victorians were quite unworried about the conservation of natural species and readily used feathers for their hats and stuffed birds and animals for interior decoration, with animal-skin rugs on the floors. This kind of furniture was considered suitable for hunting lodges, where the day might be passed in stalking and shooting the kind of animals from which such furnishings were made. Antler and horn furniture was available throughout northern Europe and in North America but it seems to have been particularly popular in the German states. The best-known manufacturer, who exhibited at several of the international exhibitions, was H.F.C. Rampendahl of Hamburg.
Collection
Accession number
W.4-1970

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Record createdMay 30, 2001
Record URL
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