EARLY 18TH CENTURY, IN THE MANNER OF BURCHARD PRECHT

This elegant mirror, with its blue glass cresting is characteristic of the work of Burchard Precht (d. 1738). The Precht family is synonymous with the production of mirrors in Sweden in the early part of the 18th Century, and numerous examples are attributed to either Burchard Precht or his sons Gustav (d. 1763) and Christian (d. 1779). Originally from Bremen, Burchard Precht arrived in Stockholm in 1674 to work at Drottingholm Palace and was named carver to the court in 1682. In 1687-88 he travelled to Rome and Paris with the court architect Nicodemus Tessin, which strongly influenced his work and led to many ecclesiastical commissions. His sons also achieved great success, with Christian becoming an important silversmith in Sweden during the mid-18th Century.

A closely related mirror was formerly in the Wrightsman collection (F.J.B. Watson, The Wrightsman Collection, II, New York, 1966, no. 209, pl. 395), whilst similar examples are illustrated in S. Roche et al., Mirrors, New York, 1985, col. pl. VII and T. Sylvén and E. Welander-Berggren, Speglar Speglmakare & Fabrikrer i Sverige 1650-1850, Stockholm, 2000, pp. 194, 196-197.