Mirror, silvered, and painted with the arms of Gough, English, 1660-80

The original glass mirror plate is framed with a pierced bolection moulding carved at the top with winged putti emanating from flower heads with stylized acanthus foliage at the corners, at the bottom with a winged cherub head and at the sides with single putti climbing the pierced floral foliage. The inner and outer fillet of the frame is carved with laurel. The outer edge is carved and pierced with floral foliage - although much of the original carving on the proper side has been lost. The frame is surmounted by cresting with in the centre two putti flanking an auricular cartouche painted with the arms of Gough of Old Fallings Hall and Perry Hall, Staffordshire (gules on a fesse argent between three boar's heads couped or a lion passant azure). They hold above the cartouche a wreath of roses and are flanked by pierced acanthus scrollwork.
The later gilding has been dry stripped to reveal what appears to be the original silvered finish and gesso. Any details carved in the wood have not been recut in the gesso which gives the surface a smoothness. The glaze which prevented the silver leaf from tarnishing has been lost and much of the silver has blackened. The figurative elements have been painted with an aluminium paint.
The pierced bolection sections have been carved in four separate sections and nailed to separate concave backs. Each of the carved corners are mitred forming the central vein of an acanthus leaf. The cresting is constructed separately and attached to the top of the frame. An original iron hook survives lower proper right. A later iron brace across the top of the frame has holes for attachment which ingeniously coincide with the centre of carved roses.

The mirror was probably made for Sir Henry Gough (1649/50-1724) who was knighted by Charles II in 1678. It may date from before his marriage in 1672 to Mary Littleton of Pillarton, Staffordshire, as the armorials do not include those of his wife.

Historical significance: The technique of pierced carving, although commonly used for contemporary stands for cabinets, is less often found on looking glass frames of this date. The silvered frame is imitating the more luxurious examples, often veneered in ebony and mounted in embossed silver such as survive at Drayton House, Northamptonshire and Knole, Kent.
The carving reflects continental influences and use of engraved ornament. The motif of putti climbing the pierced foliage is perhaps inspired by the playing boys' tapestries produced at the Mortlake manufactory (ca.1670-80). The armorial cartouche with its grotesque masks at the top and bottom is inspired by the auricular style introduced to England by the goldsmith Adam van Vianen in ca. 1630. Silver frames were particularly associated with the portraits of Sir Peter Lely (d. 1682).

A similar example with both silvered and gilded decoration was shown at the Grosvenor House Fair, 1996 (see p.106 in the illustrated handbook). Another example incorporating the arms of Fisher of Packington, Warwickshire is in the Lady Lever Art Gallery. Another example (formerly Vernon collection) in the care of the National Trust at Sudbury Hall, Derbyshire (NT652738).

Graham Child notes, in World Mirrors, 1650-1900, 1990, p.61, that 'mirrors of this period were not only gilded but also decorated with white gold or silver leaf and any putti figures were picked out in flesh tones. Since silver leaf was less resistant to climatic conditions than gold it was often varnished for protection. Over the years the varnish has turned giving a yellowish colour to the silvering. An alternative suggestion is that yellowish varnish was applied to give the effect of gold leaf which was more expensive. The difference between the two finishes would have been difficult to detect in the dimly-lit interiors of the period.'

The mirror may have been carved by a Dutch or Flemish carver working in London.

Object Type
This mirror was probably placed between two windows. It is framed with a pierced bolection moulding (one that projects beyond the surface) and is decorated with putti (naked children), flowers and acanthus foliage. The inner and outer fillets, or strips, of the frame are carved with laurel. The mirror plate is original.

Design & Designing
The carving is influenced by Continental woodwork and engraved ornament. The putti climbing up the pierced foliage are also found in Mortlake tapestries of this period.

Materials & Making
The frame has its original gilding, of silver leaf over a gesso (plaster) ground. However, the varnish that prevented the silver from tarnishing has been lost and the silver has blackened. The pierced bolection mouldings were carved in four separate sections and nailed to separate concave backs. Each of the carved corners are mitred to form the central vein of an acanthus leaf. The cresting was constructed separately and attached to the top of the frame.

W.37-1949