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Lot Essay
SPIEGELMANUFAKTUR LOHR AM MAIN
This sumptuous mirror, of impressive scale, detail and provenance, was likely made at the Spiegelmanufaktur Lohr am Main. The mirror manufacturer was the first of its kind in Germany, founded in 1698 by Elector Lothar Franz von Schönborn (1655-1729). The Elector longed to recreate his own palace in the style of Louis XIV, and contracted three French glassmakers to complete some of the most expensive and delicate work locally. Built on the banks of the river and utilizing hydropower, the factory was able to reach an unsurpassed level of expertise in their decorative works, specializing in etched and engraved pieces such as the current lot. Both local and international commissions, reputedly including pieces for the Tsar, poured out of the factory, including a suite of furniture and mirror with arabesque engraving for Schloss Wiesentheid and a mirror with similar cresting to the current lot for Schloss Weikersheim (see H. Kreisel, Kunst des Deutschen Möbels Vol II, Munich, 1970, figs. 164-169 and 245). Of interest is the link of Lohr to the famous Grimm’s fairytale of Snow White. Research has suggested that Lohr is the birthplace and home of the real-life famous princess, Maria Sophia Margarethe Catharina, Baroness von Erthal. Part of the legend is the “Schneewittchen”, an elaborate engraved and colored glass mirror made at the Spiegelmanufaktur circa 1720, which was a so called “talking mirror”, which bears the inscription of self-love “Amour Propre,” and is now conserved at the Spessartmuseum in Lohr am Main.
COMTE DE MERODE AND THE COMMISSION
The prominent coat-of-arms centering the cresting of this ornate mirror is that of Jean-Philippe-Eugène, Comte de Mérode, 5th Marquis van Westerloo (1674–1732), a Belgian military mercenary and Feldmarschall of the Holy Roman Empire who fought in many of the main battles of the tumultuous end of the 17th century and the beginning of the 18th century. He switched sides between consecutive wars, representing the anti-French coalition under King William III of England and King Charles II of Spain and later fighting on the side of the French in the Battle of Blenheim. Mérode narrowly escaped death in this disastrous battle, and his memoirs Mémoires de Feld-Maréchal Comte de Merode-Westerloo, Chevalier de la Toison d'Or, Capitaine de Trabans de l'Empereur Charles VI (1840), are cited as a valuable resource for military history. In 1694 Count de Mérode was distinguished as a Knight in the Order of the Golden Fleece, one of the most prestigious orders in Europe, and in 1717 he was rewarded with the title of Field Marshal of the Holy Roman Empire for his service to the Austrian Emperors Joseph I and Charles VI. The initials of Charles VI feature in the decorative scheme of the mirror, highlighting the importance of this period of service in his carrer.
After his recovery from Blenheim, Mérode spent more time at his castles in Westerlo, Pietersheim and Mérode, which he spent actively adding to the family’s vast artistic collections and to stay on par with his military peers. Mérode had a large formal garden in the French tradition commissioned at Westerlo in the early 18th century, inspired by Versailles and his travels throughout Europe. There are also records of Mérode acquiring the Art of War I tapestry suite around 1700, a popular subject which was also woven for William III, Ludwig Wilhelm of Baden and the Duke of Marlborough (see T. Campbell, Tapestry in the Baroque: Threads of Splendor, New York, 2007, p. 482). This mirror can be dated to just after the time of Mérode’s second marriage to Princess Charlotte Wilhelmine Amalie Alexandrina in 1721, as it clearly features their two coat of arms joined in the chain of the Order of the Golden Fleece, flanked by rampant griffins and surrounded by weapons and trophies of war. It is unknown whether Mérode created the mirror for himself, or if it was a commission presented to commemorate and recognize his illustrious service. Interestingly, in the 1884 Mentmore catalogue the mirror was erroneously designated as Italian, and as commissioned for Prince Eugène de Savoie, perhaps based on symbols of the Turkish campaigns so intricately delineated in the mirror’s borders, which aligned with his battle history.
MENTMORE AND CONTEMPORARY PROVENANCE
It is not recorded when or how the mirror entered the collection of Mentmore, but Baron Mayer Amschel de Rothschild (1818-1874) formed his collection much earlier than most members of his family. He built Mentmore between 1852 and 1854, as he needed a house near London and in close proximity to other Rothschild homes at Tring, Ascot, Aston Clinton and later Waddesdon and Halton House. The plans for the mansion imitated Wollaton Hall in Nottinghamshire and were drawn up by the gardener turned architect Joseph Paxton, celebrated for his Crystal Palace, completed the year earlier. Sumptuously furnished with extraordinary works of art in every field, Mentmore and a fortune of some £2,000,000 was bequeathed to Baron Mayer's daughter, Hannah de Rothschild in 1874. Four years later Hannah married Archibald Philip, 5th Earl of Rosebery, who added considerably to the collections assembled by his father-in-law. It is not clear when or how the mirror was acquired, but it is recorded as hanging in the library in the privately printed catalogue of the collections of Mentmore of 1884. The collection remained intact until the dispersal of the contents in 1977, at which point the mirror hung in the Du Barry room, as recorded in an image dated January in the archives of English Heritage. The mirror was acquired by Mallett, by internationally renowned decorator Peter Marino, who selected it to be the centerpiece of the soaring living room of Mona Ackerman’s apartment at 1020 Fifth Avenue.
This sumptuous mirror, of impressive scale, detail and provenance, was likely made at the Spiegelmanufaktur Lohr am Main. The mirror manufacturer was the first of its kind in Germany, founded in 1698 by Elector Lothar Franz von Schönborn (1655-1729). The Elector longed to recreate his own palace in the style of Louis XIV, and contracted three French glassmakers to complete some of the most expensive and delicate work locally. Built on the banks of the river and utilizing hydropower, the factory was able to reach an unsurpassed level of expertise in their decorative works, specializing in etched and engraved pieces such as the current lot. Both local and international commissions, reputedly including pieces for the Tsar, poured out of the factory, including a suite of furniture and mirror with arabesque engraving for Schloss Wiesentheid and a mirror with similar cresting to the current lot for Schloss Weikersheim (see H. Kreisel, Kunst des Deutschen Möbels Vol II, Munich, 1970, figs. 164-169 and 245). Of interest is the link of Lohr to the famous Grimm’s fairytale of Snow White. Research has suggested that Lohr is the birthplace and home of the real-life famous princess, Maria Sophia Margarethe Catharina, Baroness von Erthal. Part of the legend is the “Schneewittchen”, an elaborate engraved and colored glass mirror made at the Spiegelmanufaktur circa 1720, which was a so called “talking mirror”, which bears the inscription of self-love “Amour Propre,” and is now conserved at the Spessartmuseum in Lohr am Main.
COMTE DE MERODE AND THE COMMISSION
The prominent coat-of-arms centering the cresting of this ornate mirror is that of Jean-Philippe-Eugène, Comte de Mérode, 5th Marquis van Westerloo (1674–1732), a Belgian military mercenary and Feldmarschall of the Holy Roman Empire who fought in many of the main battles of the tumultuous end of the 17th century and the beginning of the 18th century. He switched sides between consecutive wars, representing the anti-French coalition under King William III of England and King Charles II of Spain and later fighting on the side of the French in the Battle of Blenheim. Mérode narrowly escaped death in this disastrous battle, and his memoirs Mémoires de Feld-Maréchal Comte de Merode-Westerloo, Chevalier de la Toison d'Or, Capitaine de Trabans de l'Empereur Charles VI (1840), are cited as a valuable resource for military history. In 1694 Count de Mérode was distinguished as a Knight in the Order of the Golden Fleece, one of the most prestigious orders in Europe, and in 1717 he was rewarded with the title of Field Marshal of the Holy Roman Empire for his service to the Austrian Emperors Joseph I and Charles VI. The initials of Charles VI feature in the decorative scheme of the mirror, highlighting the importance of this period of service in his carrer.
After his recovery from Blenheim, Mérode spent more time at his castles in Westerlo, Pietersheim and Mérode, which he spent actively adding to the family’s vast artistic collections and to stay on par with his military peers. Mérode had a large formal garden in the French tradition commissioned at Westerlo in the early 18th century, inspired by Versailles and his travels throughout Europe. There are also records of Mérode acquiring the Art of War I tapestry suite around 1700, a popular subject which was also woven for William III, Ludwig Wilhelm of Baden and the Duke of Marlborough (see T. Campbell, Tapestry in the Baroque: Threads of Splendor, New York, 2007, p. 482). This mirror can be dated to just after the time of Mérode’s second marriage to Princess Charlotte Wilhelmine Amalie Alexandrina in 1721, as it clearly features their two coat of arms joined in the chain of the Order of the Golden Fleece, flanked by rampant griffins and surrounded by weapons and trophies of war. It is unknown whether Mérode created the mirror for himself, or if it was a commission presented to commemorate and recognize his illustrious service. Interestingly, in the 1884 Mentmore catalogue the mirror was erroneously designated as Italian, and as commissioned for Prince Eugène de Savoie, perhaps based on symbols of the Turkish campaigns so intricately delineated in the mirror’s borders, which aligned with his battle history.
MENTMORE AND CONTEMPORARY PROVENANCE
It is not recorded when or how the mirror entered the collection of Mentmore, but Baron Mayer Amschel de Rothschild (1818-1874) formed his collection much earlier than most members of his family. He built Mentmore between 1852 and 1854, as he needed a house near London and in close proximity to other Rothschild homes at Tring, Ascot, Aston Clinton and later Waddesdon and Halton House. The plans for the mansion imitated Wollaton Hall in Nottinghamshire and were drawn up by the gardener turned architect Joseph Paxton, celebrated for his Crystal Palace, completed the year earlier. Sumptuously furnished with extraordinary works of art in every field, Mentmore and a fortune of some £2,000,000 was bequeathed to Baron Mayer's daughter, Hannah de Rothschild in 1874. Four years later Hannah married Archibald Philip, 5th Earl of Rosebery, who added considerably to the collections assembled by his father-in-law. It is not clear when or how the mirror was acquired, but it is recorded as hanging in the library in the privately printed catalogue of the collections of Mentmore of 1884. The collection remained intact until the dispersal of the contents in 1977, at which point the mirror hung in the Du Barry room, as recorded in an image dated January in the archives of English Heritage. The mirror was acquired by Mallett, by internationally renowned decorator Peter Marino, who selected it to be the centerpiece of the soaring living room of Mona Ackerman’s apartment at 1020 Fifth Avenue.