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Mirror
Unknown - Enlarge image
Mirror
- Place of origin:
London, England (made)
- Date:
ca. 1675 (made)
- Artist/Maker:
Unknown (production)
- Materials and Techniques:
Veneered with princewood; probably fitted with the original glass
- Credit Line:
Given by Mrs Maud Alford
- Museum number:
W.26-1947
- Gallery location:
British Galleries, room 56d, case 8
Object Type
The mirror is veneered with hardwood inset with geometric patterns. Rectangular mirrors of this type usually had a piece of ornamental carving along the top, known as a cresting. These rarely survive as they were often pierced and therefore vulnerable. The glass is of the correct thickness for this date, but the bevel may indicate that it is an 18th-century replacement.
Place
If the glass is original, it may have come from the glassworks in Vauxhall, London, established by George Villiers, 2nd Duke of Buckingham, in 1673.
Materials & Making
Princewood comes from the Spanish elm, Cordia gerascanthus, which grows in the West Indies and Central America. The wood is mentioned in the 1683 inventory of the contents of Ham House, Surrey, in which a desk was described as 'Prince wood garnished with Silver'. The centre of each convex side of the frame has a circular motif made up of 12 wedge-shaped pieces of oyster veneer.
Ownership & Use
Mirrors were luxury items and were often placed against the pier, or wall, between the windows. In this position, they were accompanied by a matching table and candlestands and maximised light by reflecting the candlelight.
