A CHARLES II NEEDLEWORK AND TORTOISESHELL DRESSING MIRROR **

CIRCA 1660

Details

A CHARLES II NEEDLEWORK AND TORTOISESHELL DRESSING MIRROR **
Circa 1660
The later rectangular bevelled plate within a tortoiseshell surround, the frame inset with paired portraits of Charles I and his consort Henrietta Maria beneath canopies and above the royal unicorn and lion supporters, the corners with portraits of Charles II and his siblings Mary Princess of Orange, Henrietta Duchess of Orleans and the Duke of York within oval wreaths, the top and base with allegorical figures representing Peace and Plenty and with fruiting trees, the Tudor rose and French lily, worked in silk and metallic threads in various stitches and applied with seed pearls, mica and lace on a silk ground, the frame with easel support, the reverse with a paper label inscribed The Property of/Reginald Astley/or/Mrs. I.R. Milius, the frame possibly nineteenth century
24in. (61.5cm.) high, 22in. (57cm.) wide overall

Provenance

Reginald Astley or Mrs. I.R. Milius

Lot Essay

This silk-embroidered mirror represents a fine example of English needlework of the second half of the 17th century. Its fresh colors, and delicate workmanship combined with superb state of preservation make it a rare survival of the Stuart period. Although many examples depict members of the royal family and aristocratic figures, most are generalized representations of the king and queen. It is unusual to find so many particular members of the royal family on a single work, as well as two sovereigns. Two such mirrors depicting Charles II and Catherine of Braganza and one depicting Charles I and his consort are in the collection of the Lady Lever Art Gallery, illustrated in X. Brooke, Catalogue of Embroideries, Bath, Avon, 1992, pp. 190-192, another formerly in the collection of the noted connoisseur Percival Griffiths and now in the Burrell Collection, Glasgow, is illustrated in L. Arthur, Embroidery 1600-1700 at the Burrell Collection, London, 1995, p. 69, fig. 45.