antique italian giltwood florentine mirror 19th century 81x98cm

A superbly carved and highly decorative Florentine giltwood gesso mirror, early 19th Century in date.
This rectangular mirror consists of a superbly carved giltwood frame decorated with shells and scrolling acanthus leaf decoration in high relief.

The gilding is original and this mirror can be hung portrait or landscape.
It is certain to make a charming addition to that one special room in your home.Condition:Inexcellent condition with original gilding, please see photos for confirmation of condition.Dimensions in cm:Height 86 x Width 98 x Depth 6Dimensions in inches:Height 2 foot, 10 inches x Width 3 foot, 3 inches x Depth 2 inches
Our reference: A2320
The earliest manufactured mirrors were pieces of polished stone such as obsidian, a naturally occurring volcanic glass.In classical antiquity, mirrors were made of solid metal (bronze, later silver) and were too expensive for widespread use by common people; they were also prone tocorrosion. Due to the low reflectivity of polished metal, these mirrors also gave a darker image than modern ones, making them unsuitable for indoor use with the artificial lighting of the time.The method of making mirrors out ofplate glasswas invented by 16th-century Venetian glassmakers on the island ofMurano, who covered the back of the glass withmercury, obtaining near-perfect and undistorted reflection.For over one hundred years, Venetian mirrors installed in richly decorated frames served as luxury decorations for palaces throughout Europe, but the secret of the mercury process eventually arrived in London and Paris during the 17th century, due to industrial espionage. French workshops succeeded in large scale industrialization of the process, eventually making mirrors affordable to the masses.

Antiques.co.uk Ref: T98MHWUCG

Width (cm):

98

Height (cm):

86

Depth (cm):

6

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