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Lot Essay
This set of four mirrors decorated with jewel-like molded green glass cabochons and panels is a rare survival of a typically Venetian form of decoration. Celebrated since the 13th Century as the center of glassmaking, the production of Venetian glass was moved to the nearby island of Murano in 1291. This was due to the frequent fires caused by the glassmaking furnaces and more so, to ensure an enduring monopoly of skills and quality of craftsmanship. This lead to the development of many unique glassmaking techniques including enameled glass (smalto), glass with threads of gold (adventurine), multi-colored glass (millefiori), milk glass (Lattimo), and imitation gemstones made of glass, such as seen on this set of four mirrors.
Venetian mirrors of any kind were relatively expensive in the 18th century because they were blown and not cast and polished as those produced elsewhere. The survival of 18th century furniture mounted with colored glass are rare and were undoubtedly used to decorate furniture; in 1777 Lady Anna Riggs Miller recorded in her diary on a visit to Murano that she had been shown a suite of furniture inlaid with pieces of glass and looking glass, commissioned by an Ottoman Sultan for his hareem (G. Child, World Mirrors, New York, 1990, p. 265). An 18th century mirror encrusted with blue glass cabochons in the Museo Vetraio, Murano is illustrated in G. Mariacher, Specchiere Italiane, Milan, 1963, pl. 59. A pair of almost identical girandole-mirrors in the De Munari Collection, Venice are illustrated in C. Santini, Mille Mobili Veneti, 2002, Vol. III, p. 72, pl. 83. A pair of similar mirrors, encrusted with blue glass cabochons was sold Christie's, New York, 28 May 2007, lot 253.
Venetian mirrors of any kind were relatively expensive in the 18th century because they were blown and not cast and polished as those produced elsewhere. The survival of 18th century furniture mounted with colored glass are rare and were undoubtedly used to decorate furniture; in 1777 Lady Anna Riggs Miller recorded in her diary on a visit to Murano that she had been shown a suite of furniture inlaid with pieces of glass and looking glass, commissioned by an Ottoman Sultan for his hareem (G. Child, World Mirrors, New York, 1990, p. 265). An 18th century mirror encrusted with blue glass cabochons in the Museo Vetraio, Murano is illustrated in G. Mariacher, Specchiere Italiane, Milan, 1963, pl. 59. A pair of almost identical girandole-mirrors in the De Munari Collection, Venice are illustrated in C. Santini, Mille Mobili Veneti, 2002, Vol. III, p. 72, pl. 83. A pair of similar mirrors, encrusted with blue glass cabochons was sold Christie's, New York, 28 May 2007, lot 253.