Lot Essay
With its finely carved and attenuated eagle finial and delicately wrought gilt foliate branches, this mirror represents the height of urban craftsmanship. Although most looking-glasses of this proficiency have traditionally been attributed to England (and most likely the basic form was produced in that country as was the typical practice of the time), micro-analysis shows that wood of the eagle is Pinus strobus, principally used in New England, and thereby supporting a tradition of manufacture in Salem, an area well known for its highly skilled carvers. Made as a pair (the second in a private collection), this girandole glass has no known directly comparable examples.
Robert Adams' 1774 architectural and decorative arts design book, Works in Architecture, contain several elaborate looking-glasses including a looking-glass made for Derby House (1773-1774) incorporating elements with closely related details, to those seen on the mirror illustrated here. Nonetheless, no single mirror included all or could be construed as the ultimate design source for this girandole glass. Nevertheless, subsequent publications by looking-glass manufacturers such as Jee, Eginton and Company of Birmingham, England, included individual elements of Adam designs. Although the itemized price sheet at the beginning of the catalog suggests that books such as this were intended to attract orders for companies such as Jee, Eginton, the plates within invariably must have been used as a design source for other consumers and cabinetmakers (Jee, Eginton and Company, llustrated Catalog Showing Looking Glasses..., (Birmingham, England, published circa 1785-1790). Interestingly, elements cribbed from Robert Adam that appeared in Jee, Eginton's looking-glass catalog, such as the foliate candlearms illustrated above, later appeared in Thomas Sheraton's 1791 edition of The Cabinet'Maker and Upholsterer's Drawing Book, the principle difference being that pattern-book authors such as Sheraton generally included a description of the manufacturing technique or purpose of the object portrayed, whereas Jee, Eginton supplied strictly the parts and at what price they could be obtained. Lest the unwary consumer be taken in by the high cost of such luxury items, a third group of publications was available. The Plate Glass Book and The Compleat [sic] Appraiser, (London, 1760, 1771, 1784) provided information to the consumer regarding not just the process through which looking-glasses were made, but also discussed the effects achieved by different forms of glass, noting that concave glasses would absorb and focus light as a concentrated point, whereas convex shapes would scatter light. Likewise, this publication also offered a complete listing of prices, given by dimension to the 1/2 inch, for variously finished frames and completed mirrors. Thus in 1784, a gilt frame with glass complete of approximately 25 1/2 inches wide and 54 inches long was suggested to cost approximately # 28-3-0, a considerable sum for the time.
A 1948 advertisement for the mate to this mirror read, "Superbly Carved and Gilded Eagle Top Convex Mirror/With Leafage and Tassel Decorations in the Adam Manner -- c. 1800" (see advertisement for C.W. Lyon, New York City, Antiques, (March, 1948), p. 3).
Robert Adams' 1774 architectural and decorative arts design book, Works in Architecture, contain several elaborate looking-glasses including a looking-glass made for Derby House (1773-1774) incorporating elements with closely related details, to those seen on the mirror illustrated here. Nonetheless, no single mirror included all or could be construed as the ultimate design source for this girandole glass. Nevertheless, subsequent publications by looking-glass manufacturers such as Jee, Eginton and Company of Birmingham, England, included individual elements of Adam designs. Although the itemized price sheet at the beginning of the catalog suggests that books such as this were intended to attract orders for companies such as Jee, Eginton, the plates within invariably must have been used as a design source for other consumers and cabinetmakers (Jee, Eginton and Company, llustrated Catalog Showing Looking Glasses..., (Birmingham, England, published circa 1785-1790). Interestingly, elements cribbed from Robert Adam that appeared in Jee, Eginton's looking-glass catalog, such as the foliate candlearms illustrated above, later appeared in Thomas Sheraton's 1791 edition of The Cabinet'Maker and Upholsterer's Drawing Book, the principle difference being that pattern-book authors such as Sheraton generally included a description of the manufacturing technique or purpose of the object portrayed, whereas Jee, Eginton supplied strictly the parts and at what price they could be obtained. Lest the unwary consumer be taken in by the high cost of such luxury items, a third group of publications was available. The Plate Glass Book and The Compleat [sic] Appraiser, (London, 1760, 1771, 1784) provided information to the consumer regarding not just the process through which looking-glasses were made, but also discussed the effects achieved by different forms of glass, noting that concave glasses would absorb and focus light as a concentrated point, whereas convex shapes would scatter light. Likewise, this publication also offered a complete listing of prices, given by dimension to the 1/2 inch, for variously finished frames and completed mirrors. Thus in 1784, a gilt frame with glass complete of approximately 25 1/2 inches wide and 54 inches long was suggested to cost approximately # 28-3-0, a considerable sum for the time.
A 1948 advertisement for the mate to this mirror read, "Superbly Carved and Gilded Eagle Top Convex Mirror/With Leafage and Tassel Decorations in the Adam Manner -- c. 1800" (see advertisement for C.W. Lyon, New York City, Antiques, (March, 1948), p. 3).