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Lot Essay
This mirror is embellished on a pewter ground with very delicate acanthus ornaments and foliate scrolls-known as rinceaux. This ornament derives from the engravings of Jean Lepautre (1618-1682) and Paul Androuet du Cerceau (circa 1630-1710) and were among the most widely disseminated ornaments for Architecture and Decorative Arts (see E. Coquery et. al., Rinceaux & Figures. L'ornement en France au XVIIe siècle, Paris-St Rémy en l'Eau, 2005).
The use of a metal background which highlights the colour of the tortoiseshell and of the brass is known as contrepartie. This technique was developed by the ébéniste du Roi André Charles Boulle (1642-1732) who is known to have created mirrors. One of his most celebrated mirror is the mirroir de toilette delivered in 1713 by the dealer De La Roue to the Duchesse de Berry, now in the Wallace Collection (P. Hughes, The Wallace Collection. Catalogue of Furniture, Vol. II, London, 1996, p.711-718).
The use of a metal background which highlights the colour of the tortoiseshell and of the brass is known as contrepartie. This technique was developed by the ébéniste du Roi André Charles Boulle (1642-1732) who is known to have created mirrors. One of his most celebrated mirror is the mirroir de toilette delivered in 1713 by the dealer De La Roue to the Duchesse de Berry, now in the Wallace Collection (P. Hughes, The Wallace Collection. Catalogue of Furniture, Vol. II, London, 1996, p.711-718).