Antique Mirrors: Antique Wall & Overmantel Mirrors
A wide and varied selection of Antique Wall Mirrors, Fireplace Overmantel Mirrors and Period Giltwood and carved Mirrors.
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Stock: 16624
A charming Victorian giltwood overmantel mirror, the arched frame mounted with an acanthine and shell surmount, this decoration is echoed on the bottom of the frame. English, c.1860.
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Width |
Height |
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40 7⁄8"
104 cms |
65 11⁄16"
167 cms |
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Listed Price: £1,800 (+VAT where applicable)
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Stock: 16673
An extraordinarily fine and large George II pier mirror in the manner of Thomas Johnson (1723-1778). The giltwood frame is finely carved, embracing the asymmetry of the Rococo style, with c scrolls, rocaille, waterfalls and acanthine motifs, surmounted by a ho-ho bird. This exquisite frame encloses the original plate, which has been later re-silvered, but you will notice the undulations of the original plate.
English, c.1760.
Please note that the backboards were likely replaced when the mirror plate was re-silvered. Awaiting further research.
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Width |
Height |
Depth |
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28 11⁄16"
73 cms |
67 1⁄8"
170.5 cms |
4 11⁄16"
12 cms |
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Listed Price: £22,000 (+VAT where applicable)
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Stock: 16657
A large Regency Period convex wall mirror, having a reeded ebony border and applied ball decoration, within an ornate gilt gesso surround modelled as scrolling acanthus leaves.
English, c.1820.
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Width |
Height |
Depth |
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29 7⁄8"
76 cms |
49 13⁄16"
126.5 cms |
3 1⁄4"
8.5 cms |
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Listed Price: £2,200 (+VAT where applicable)
More info?
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Stock: 16721
A fine and large 17th century ebonised ripple mirror. This striking mirror has a wonderful patina, the warmth of the wood just gleaning through the original ebonised finish. This encloses a foxed Mercury plate.
Such a wonderful survival from this period, perhaps originally a picture frame, and later re-purposed as a mirror.
Possibly Italian made for the Dutch market, c.1670.
These frames were thought to have originated in Germany - possibly Nuremberg - and are now most commonly associated with the Dutch 17th century tradition. The frames were in fact often produced in Italy, Spain and Flanders, using both ebony veneer and stained softwood. A machine was developed specifically to create the ripple effect, creating undulations in the wood using a fixed blade on a jig. These frames have become synonymous with the Dutch tradition as they were favoured by artists as they did not detract from the subject, and instead drew the gaze towards it.
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Width |
Height |
Depth |
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34 5⁄8"
88 cms |
39 3⁄16"
99.5 cms |
3 1⁄8"
8 cms |
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Stock: 16554
An ornate antique French wall mirror with cushioned marginal plates. The egg and dart and bead and husk frame is surmounted by a typically French ribboned rose and laurel garland.
French, mid-19th century.
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Width |
Height |
Depth |
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36 3⁄8"
92.5 cms |
50"
127 cms |
5 1⁄2"
14 cms |
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Listed Price: £3,800 (+VAT where applicable)
More info?
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Stock: 16042
A fine French 18th century Louis XVI gilt gesso mirror, with a beaded slip and trailing leaves decorating the frame. There is a beautifully modelled laurel ribboned garland centred by a quiver of arrows and a trophies of war to the surmount. This detail perhaps alludes to the unrest in France at the end of the 18th century.
French, c.1780.
Original gilding but a later mirror plate.
Provenance: From the estate of the late Marguerite Littman.
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Width |
Height |
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32 1⁄4"
82 cms |
69 13⁄16"
177.2 cms |
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Listed Price: £4,000 (+VAT where applicable)
More info?
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Stock: 16599
A beautiful 19th century Italianate mirror with Chinoiserie decoration. This unusual mirror has a beautifully bevelled, shaped plate and is enclosed by a lacquered frame, painted with with a charming chinoiserie design and bordered by gilded Rococo flourishes.
English, c.1860.
This mirror is such a useful size, perfect as a hall mirror, a bedroom or even a bathroom mirror!
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Width |
Height |
Depth |
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16 11⁄16"
42.3 cms |
29 1⁄8"
74 cms |
1 5⁄8"
4 cms |
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Listed Price: £2,400 (+VAT where applicable)
More info?
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Stock: 16699
A fine French Louis XVI gilt gesso overmantel mirror with an elegant tongue and dart moulding to the frame, which is beautifully burnished so to contrast with the matte gilding which borders it. This is surmounted by a spray of olive leaves and a corbel cartouche. The fine frame encloses a crisply bevelled mirror plate.
French, mid-19th century.
Provenance: The Grange, Wendover.
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Width |
Height |
Depth |
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46 1⁄8"
117 cms |
68 7⁄8"
175 cms |
4 11⁄16"
12 cms |
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Listed Price: £3,200 (+VAT where applicable)
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Stock: 16692
A beautiful 18th century Venetian mirror with original mercury mirror plate. The gilded frame takes a loosely organic form and interprets the French Rococo style, with a rather more traditional frame boldly embellished with the addition of organic c scrolls and foliate flourishes to the edges.
Venetian, c.1760.
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Width |
Height |
Depth |
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31 7⁄8"
81 cms |
46 1⁄2"
118 cms |
3 7⁄8"
10 cms |
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Stock: 16689
A fine and ornate giltwood Louis XVI overmantel mirror profusely decorated with floral swags and sprays of laurel and surmounted by an urnular crest filled with flowers.
French, mid-19th century.
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Width |
Height |
Depth |
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38 13⁄16"
98.5 cms |
68 11⁄16"
174.5 cms |
3 1⁄2"
9 cms |
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Listed Price: £4,200 (+VAT where applicable)
More info?
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Stock: 16660
A fine gilt gesso 19th century mirror in the manner of William Kent. The rectangular mirrored plate in enclosed by a bead and reel moulded slip, and the frame is embossed with a scrolling foliate design and a diamond pattern, with stippling to the lower portion of the frame. The mirror is topped with a broken pediment, centred by a central cartouche.
English, c.1860.
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Width |
Height |
Depth |
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24 1⁄4"
61.7 cms |
49 3⁄8"
125.5 cms |
2 13⁄16"
7 cms |
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Listed Price: £3,800 (+VAT where applicable)
More info?
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Stock: 16671
A fine 18th century giltwood Rococo wall mirror. The mirror frame is confidently and finely carved, with c-scrolls, acanthine flourishes and trailing flowers, typical motifs of the Rococo style. The gilding is lovely, and beautifully burnished to give the gold a soft glow.
English, c.1770.
Later mirror plate.
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Width |
Height |
Depth |
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23 3⁄16"
59 cms |
47 3⁄16"
120 cms |
2 3⁄8"
6 cms |
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Listed Price: £5,400 (+VAT where applicable)
More info?
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Stock: 16652
A 19th century French giltwood overmantel mirror with a Rococo foliate surmount above a cushion moulded, ogee frame. This encloses the crisp bevelled glass. A very elegant mirror.
French, late 19th century.
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Width |
Height |
Depth |
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37 3⁄8"
95 cms |
57 1⁄8"
145 cms |
5 1⁄4"
13.5 cms |
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Listed Price: £3,200 (+VAT where applicable)
More info?
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Stock: 16618
A fine Louis-Philippe overmantel gilt gesso mirror. The surmount is decorated with a flaming torch, a quiver of arrows and a laurel wreath, and is mounted on an elegant frame, with a slightly distressed gilded finish showing traces of the red bole underneath. The frame is further decorated with a Greek key pattern embossed on the surface.
French, mid-19th century.
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Width |
Height |
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36 3⁄16"
92 cms |
55 7⁄8"
142 cms |
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Listed Price: £3,800 (+VAT where applicable)
More info?
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Stock: 16697
An exceptional giltwood Venetian wall mirror. The fine frame has strapwork cresting, pierced sides and apron, the whole carved with rocaille, c-scrolls and floral flourishes, enclosing the mirror plate, which is surmounted by a fine cartouche also with mirror plate to the crest.
Venice, c.1780.
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Width |
Height |
Depth |
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47 5⁄8"
121 cms |
65 3⁄8"
166 cms |
2 3⁄8"
6 cms |
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Stock: 16651
A beautiful French oval wall mirror, the egg and dart frame enclosing a bevelled plate, and topped with a Rococo surmount and trailing flowers. The gilding has been rubbed back to give it a soft glow of warmth from the red bole underneath.
French, mid-19th century.
View our collection of: Antique mirrors and console tables
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Width |
Height |
Depth |
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23 3⁄16"
59 cms |
36 5⁄8"
93 cms |
4 11⁄16"
12 cms |
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Listed Price: £1,800 (+VAT where applicable)
More info?
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Stock: 9515
A large and grand finely carved oak mirror in the Chippendale Rococo manner, with shell, rocaille floral and scroll work typical of the period. English, 19th century.
Link to: Antique mirrors and console tables
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Width |
Height |
Depth |
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82 11⁄16"
210 cms |
70 7⁄8"
180 cms |
5 1⁄8"
13 cms |
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Listed Price: £5,200 (+VAT where applicable)
More info?
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Stock: 16544
A very fine Piedmontese giltwood pier mirror. This beautiful mirror has a wonderfully patinated arched mercury plate, which is enclosed by a slender marginal plate of the same glass. The refined rocaille frame is topped by the most magnificent pierced scrollwork crest, and the whole is raised on sweeping acanthus feet.
Piedmont, c.1750.
This mirror would be magnificent over a fireplace, or a console table.
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Width |
Height |
Depth |
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35 13⁄16"
91 cms |
71 11⁄16"
182 cms |
2 3⁄8"
6 cms |
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Listed Price: £6,800 (+VAT where applicable)
More info?
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Stock: 16559
A grand late Regency overmantel mirror of exceptional quality. The giltwood frame is richly embellished with acanthine and scrollwork decoration, with a particularly magnificent crest. This encloses the original silvered plate.
English, c.1810.
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Width |
Height |
Depth |
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60"
152.5 cms |
72 3⁄8"
184 cms |
4 11⁄16"
12 cms |
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Listed Price: £6,000 (+VAT where applicable)
More info?
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Stock: 16541
An exceptionally fine and rare pair of Venetian giltwood mirrors or pier glasses. Mirrors of this type, especially those in an original pair are vanishingly rare. Their gilded giltwood frames take an organic form, the whole carved with rocaille, c-scrolls and floral embellishments, with a mirrored rocaille crest. This Rococo design encloses the more traditional frames that are the signature of the Venetian style, which in turn borders the most magnificently patinated original mercury plates.
Italian, c.1760.
Provenance: From a palazzo in Venice.
Notes: It is likely that this pair of mirrors was made on the island of Murano, known as the 'Isle of Glass'. It has been the centre of fine glassmaking for centuries.
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Width |
Height |
Depth |
| Each |
39 3⁄8"
100 cms |
54 1⁄2"
138.5 cms |
5 7⁄8"
15 cms |
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Listed Price: £26,000 (+VAT where applicable)
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Stock: 16519
An interesting Louis Philippe period overmantel mirror with an elegant water gilded frame, enclosing a mercury plate. The frame is topped by a later surmount, ornately carved with ribbon tied wheat, vines and fruit, centred by an urn.
French, mid-19th century and later.
View our collection of: Antique mirrors and console tables
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Width |
Height |
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28 1⁄4"
72 cms |
66 1⁄8"
168 cms |
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Listed Price: £1,800 (+VAT where applicable)
More info?
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Stock: 16522
A fine and large Irish William IV convex mirror. The original convex plate is enclosed within a reeded slip, which is bordered by an ornate giltwood frame which is mounted with acanthus scrollwork, bunches of grapes, a sunflower and twin candleholders. Most unusually, the surmount depicts a stag resting under an oak tree. Mounted with wired girandoles.
Irish, c.1830.
Similar to stock no. 16491.
View our collection of: Antique mirrors and console tables
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Width |
Height |
Depth |
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25 5⁄8"
65 cms |
47 3⁄16"
120 cms |
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Listed Price: £4,600 (+VAT where applicable)
More info?
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Stock: 16515
A fine and exceptionally large George IV giltwood overmantle mirror. The water gilded frame is enriched with deeply carved stylised scrolling foliage and simple half round mouldings, all set below the boldly carved cornice. The gilded carving is enhanced with burnished highlights and to the back the substantial frame encloses a panelled back board.
English, circa 1820.
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Width |
Height |
Depth |
| top |
73 3⁄8"
186.5 cms |
72 3⁄8"
184 cms |
3 7⁄8"
10 cms |
| bottom |
75 1⁄8"
190.7 cms |
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Listed Price: £8,000 (+VAT where applicable)
More info?
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Stock: 16510
A very fine early George III giltwood wall mirror in the manner of John Linnell (1729–96). The oval mercury mirror plate is framed by an exquisitely carved frame of foliate design, surmounted by a rocaille cartouche which is echoed on the bottom of the mirror, which terminates in a similar fashion.
English, circa 1740.
View our collection of: Antique mirrors and console tables
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Width |
Height |
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27 5⁄8"
70 cms |
39 3⁄8"
100 cms |
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Listed Price: £6,500 (+VAT where applicable)
More info?
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Stock: 16503
An exceptionally fine eighteenth-century Piedmontese pier mirror. The ornately moulded frame is surmounted by elaborate scrolling foliate surmount, which looms over the mirror plate. The wonderfully foxed mercury mirror plate is framed by a slender mercury glass marginal plate with applied floral paterae decoration. The frame rests on outswept feet, to support it on a console, mantel or similar.
Italian, mid-18th century, Piedmont with restorations.
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Width |
Height |
Depth |
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37 3⁄8"
95 cms |
79 7⁄8"
203 cms |
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Listed Price: £9,500 (+VAT where applicable)
More info?
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Stock: 16518
A very ornate and large Louis XV style giltwood overmantel mirror with a beautifully carved frame. The ornate frame comprises slender foliate pilasters, which support a grand pediment embellished with acanthus scrollwork and a floral crest, whilst enclosing marginal plates.
A very decorative Rococo revival mirror.
English, c.1950.
View our collection of: Antique mirrors and console tables
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Width |
Height |
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52 3⁄8"
133 cms |
74 13⁄16"
190 cms |
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Listed Price: £3,800 (+VAT where applicable)
More info?
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Stock: 16501
A very large and grand Venetian overmantel mirror. The frame is profusely decorated with c scrolls and floral flourishes, and is surmounted by a mirrored cartouche with a rocaille surmount. The original gilding is beautifully worn, with the warm red bole glowing through.
Italian, 19th century.
View our collection of: Antique mirrors and console tables
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width |
height |
depth |
| top |
49 3⁄16"
125 cms |
70 7⁄8"
180 cms |
6 1⁄4"
16 cms |
| bottom |
36 5⁄8"
93 cms |
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Stock: 16108
A tall and elegant early Victorian overmantel gilt gesso mirror with a slender pilastered framed, and a ribboned pediment surmount.
English, c.1850.
View our collection of: Antique mirrors and console tables
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Width |
Height |
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54 1⁄4"
138 cms |
70 1⁄4"
178.5 cms |
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Listed Price: £3,800 (+VAT where applicable)
More info?
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Stock: 15998
A late 19th century French gilt gesso wall mirror, with a pierced scrolled pediment and shell surmount, fitted with a bevelled central plate, flanked by angled marginal mirror plates.
View our collection of: Antique mirrors and console tables
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Width |
Height |
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27 3⁄16"
69 cms |
49 5⁄8"
126 cms |
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Listed Price: £2,400 (+VAT where applicable)
More info?
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Stock: 16488
A fine George III giltwood and carton-pierre wall mirror in the manner of James and Robert Adam. The slender frame encloses the rectangular plate and is surmounted by opposing griffins centred by a slender urn and ears of wheat.
English, c.1770.
Provenance: The Estate of the late Sir George Dowty (1901-1975, inventor, engineer and businessman) and Lady Marguerite Dowty, thence by family descent.
Notes: Carton-Pierre is effectively a type of papier mache, popularised in the 18th century for its ability to be moulded to create adornments for mirrors or even ceiling cornices, as a cheaper alternative to plaster.
Final image credit: Office of Robert and James Adam, 'Design for a Pier Glass, 1772, Photo: © Sir John Soane’s Museum, London”.
View our collection of: Antique mirrors and console tables
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Width |
Height |
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25 5⁄8"
65 cms |
64 5⁄8"
164 cms |
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Stock: 16191
The most charming gilt gesso mirrored hanging shelves. The arched mirror plate is beautifully adorned with ferns, convolvulus and foxgloves that are exquisitely modelled around the frame. The rods supporting the three shelves terminate in foxglove flowerheads.
The shelves embody the Victorian obsession with ferns, in a period known as the 'fern craze'; which saw a widespread fascination in identifying, collecting and cultivating the plant.
English, mid-19th century.
Near pair with stock no. 16190.
Photo before restoration.
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Width |
Height |
Depth |
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18 1⁄8"
46 cms |
33 7⁄8"
86 cms |
6 11⁄16"
17 cms |
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Listed Price: £1,100 (+VAT where applicable)
More info?
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Stock: 16184
A very ornate Adam style oval girandole mirror. The gilt gesso frame is adorned with a fan and bellflower decoration very much in the Adam style. The mounted triple girandole sconce is of scrolling foliate form and this is echoed in the surmount, where putti hold sprays of laurel over a floral garland.
English, c.1870.
Provenance: The Grange Goathland.
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Listed Price: £4,500 (+VAT where applicable)
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Stock: 16471
A Rococo overmantel mirror in gilt gesso, with a moulded frame that has been beautifully gilded and slightly distressed to reveal the warm red bole underneath. This is surmounted by a Rocaille crest.
English, late 19th century.
View our collection of: Antique mirrors and console tables
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Width |
Height |
Depth |
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41 1⁄4"
105 cms |
64 1⁄4"
163.2 cms |
5 7⁄8"
15 cms |
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Sold
Stock: 16486
A striking Napoleon III ebonised and parcel gilt mirror, with a bound laurel frame and acanthus corners enclosing marginal plates. The mirror has a beautifully modelled cartouche and laurel surmount.
View our collection of: Antique mirrors and console tables
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Width |
Height |
Depth |
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40 5⁄8"
103 cms |
59 3⁄8"
150.8 cms |
3 1⁄8"
8 cms |
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Stock: 16491
A fine Irish Regency convex mirror. The original convex plate is enclosed within a reeded ebony slip, which is bordered by an ornate giltwood ropetwist frame and mounted with acanthus scrollwork and twin candleholders. Most unusually, the surmount depicts a stag resting under an oak tree.
Irish, c.1820.
View our collection of: Antique mirrors and console tables
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Width |
Height |
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24 3⁄8"
62 cms |
38 5⁄8"
98 cms |
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Listed Price: £4,600 (+VAT where applicable)
More info?
Antique mirrors
There is something alluring about an antique mirror - perhaps the combination of a finely carved frame and the shimmering surface of original glass - that has led to their enduring appeal amongst antique furniture collectors.
A short history of antique mirrors
The earliest mirrored glass was made in Murano in the 16th century, where glass was coated in mercury and tin to create a silver reflective layer on its reverse. This process was a closely guarded secret, and spies were sent from the French court of Louis XIV to Venice to discover the process. Their efforts paid off, and the French became renowned producers in their own right. Antique mirrors were made using mercury glass until other safer methods of manufacture became more widely available in the 19th century.
Earlier antique mirrors also tend to be slightly smaller, or made with separate panels of mirrored glass, as there was not the technology to produce single sheets of large glass until the late 18th century. Only the very wealthy could afford very large panes of glass, so mirrors were objects of prestige and magnificence.
Varieties of antique mirror
Whether an antique wall mirror, an overmantel mirror or a pier mirror, it is often the frame that catches the eye. Particularly fine mirrors are carved from mahogany or rosewood, or gilded using gold leaf, rather than paint. Mirror frames tend to be made of carved wood or carved wood and gesso. They are called giltwood mirrors if a thin layer of gold leaf has been applied over the carved and primed surface. Such mirrors exude quality and vary from bright gold through to a more worn, soft patina. An antique gilded mirror is often deemed more valuable than its wooden counterpart and is seen as a timeless addition to interiors of all styles.
Eras of antique mirror
Antique overmantle mirrors embody the elegance of a period home, and can inject both sophistication and character into an interior. Victorian mirrors often come in overmantel form, as in 19th century England, the mantelpiece was the heart of the home, a space to display precious objects and convey taste. The earlier Regency overmantel mirrors were often horizontal in form and more modest in design. Victorian mirrors were not only gilt, but often carved from wood such as oak, mahogany and rosewood.
In France the overmantel mirror was similarly significant, and in many cases, much taller, utilising the space above the fireplace enabled by higher ceilings and grand rooms. These Antique French mirrors are usually gilded, and wood was not widely used without a gilded adornment.
Often smaller, antique wall mirrors are an excellent thing to hang above a piece of furniture or in a hallway, where they can create the illusion of a larger, lighter space. They are less dominant than an overmantel, and serve a function in rooms such as bedrooms or hallways.
If you are looking for an overmantel or any Antique mirrors London is the place to look. Our showroom has numerous options all on display for you to browse, from early Georgian wall mirrors through to large Aesthetic movement overmantels.