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Lot Essay
This pair of mirror-bordered mirrors surmounted by acanthus-wrapped scrolls centered by a shell clasp recalls the work of Thomas Pelletier (d.1723) who as Royal cabinet-maker was highly influential in setting the fashion of the day. The son of Jean Pelletier (d.1704), and brother to René, this family of carvers and gilders of French Huguenot extraction, supplied pier tables, mirrors, candlestands and frames to William III and Queen Anne as well as for other notable patrons such as Ralph, Earl and later 1st Duke of Montagu, Master of the Wardrobe to William III, for his London home and Boughton House, Northamptonshire. The carved details of the cresting can be compared to the documented work of the Pelletier family including an apron on a table supplied to Queen Anne in circa 1705 and incorporating her Royal cypher (see T. Murdoch, 'Jean, René and Thomas Pelletier, a Huguenot family of carvers and gilders in England 1682-1726', The Burlington Magazine, part I, November 1997, p.737, fig.7). This carving can also be compared to a mirror frame supplied for Montagu House, London (op.cit, part II, June 1998, p.368, fig.13), and eglomisé mirrors attributed to Thomas and René Pelletier at Halaby, Yorkshire and the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (ibid, p.371, figs.16-17). The mirrors probably formed part of a suite together with a pair of giltwood tables and candlestands. Pelletier's invoice of 1699 lists 'two tables two pairs of Stands and two looking glasses' supplied to the 'late Queen's Bedchambers at Kensington'.
It is also worth noting the influence of 'Looking Glass' manufacturer John Gumley (d. 1729). In partnership with James Moore, he supplied a related 'Large glass in a glass frame' listed in the 1714/15 accounts of George I's Lord Chamberlain's Office (R. Edwards and M. Jourdain, Georgian Cabinet-Makers, London, 1955, p.41). A closely related mirror-bordered mirror attributed to Moore but more likely the work of Pelletier is illustrated in G.Child, World Mirrors 1650-1900, London, 1990, p.77, fig.48.
It is also worth noting the influence of 'Looking Glass' manufacturer John Gumley (d. 1729). In partnership with James Moore, he supplied a related 'Large glass in a glass frame' listed in the 1714/15 accounts of George I's Lord Chamberlain's Office (R. Edwards and M. Jourdain, Georgian Cabinet-Makers, London, 1955, p.41). A closely related mirror-bordered mirror attributed to Moore but more likely the work of Pelletier is illustrated in G.Child, World Mirrors 1650-1900, London, 1990, p.77, fig.48.