It is extremely rare for mirrors of this period to bear any form of documentation. The inscription probably refers to the marchand Mesnard recorded at the Pont Notre-Dame, Paris, who, in a mid-18th century advertisement, promoted his shop as "Au duc de Bourgogne, au milieu du Pont Notre-Dame, vend Glaces, Trumeaux, Miroirs, Commodes, secretaires etc..."
This superb mirror, with its richly carved classical urn cresting and bold use of large-scale husk swags combined with fluted mirrored uprights, which retains its original plates, is a remarkable documentary example, dated 1765, of the early neo-classical style of the 1760's. Its striking use of neo-classical motifs reflects the influence of designers such as Jean-Charles Delafosse, Jean-Louis Prieur and Jean-Joseph Le Lorrain who employed antique Roman and Greek forms and promoted the fashion for the got Grec among sophisticated collectors.