An embodiment of elegance and bravado, this looking glass is an exquisite example of American craftsmanship fashioned in the classical taste popular in the early 19th century. Based on sources available through a pattern book of George Smith published in 1808, this convex girandole mirror is a later, more robust manifestation of the delicate oval neo-classical forms of the 18th century. Mirrors of this stature demand a commanding presence and evoke images of opulence, formal gatherings and grandeur associated with the successful patrons who would commission and own such a masterpiece.

A looking glass, probably made by the same craftsman, shares the carved floral baskets and rim and is illustated in Miller, American Antique Furniture, vol. II, (New York, 1937), fig. 1243. For related mirror, see Nutting, Furniture Treasury, vol. II (New York, 1948), fig. 3166.

Microanalysis has identified that wood samples taken from the backboard, back frame, frame, and carving are from the white pine (pinus strobus) group.