A GEORGE II GREY-PAINTED AND PARCEL-GILT MIRROR*

CIRCA 1735

Details

A GEORGE II GREY-PAINTED AND PARCEL-GILT MIRROR*
Circa 1735
The later rectangular plate within a frame with outset corners and ribbon-entwined flowerhead inner edge and shell-and-dart outer edge, the broken pediment cresting centering a scallop shell over a central Venus mask and foliate scrolls, the sides with trailing berried branches, over a Vitruvian scroll-carved base, with later sanded ground, redecorated
83in. (212cm.) high, 46in. (117cm.) wide

Sale room notice

Please note this lot is not exempt from sales tax.

Lot Essay

The mirror's broken pediment with central Venus's shell and mask, and its strict use of classical motifs, relates closely to the designs of architects working in the Palladian manner, such as William Kent (d. 1748) and James Gibbs (d. 1754). The mirror shares similarities with designs issued in pattern books of the period, such as a design for a chimneypiece in Gibbs, J. Book of Architecture, 1728, pl. 97. A similar mirror with a broken pediment and central scallop shell is illustrated in G. Child World Mirrors 1650-1900, 1990, pl. 95, and another closely related mirror in both form and carved devices was offered from the Donald M. Munson Collection, sold Christie's London, 4 May 1995, lot 305. A further example with similar carved foliate devices sold Sotheby's New York, 11 October 1996, lot 342.