Regency Carved Giltwood and Ebony Convex Mirror with Griffin Crest
ENGLAND, CIRCA 1815
120 x 65 x 21 cm
47 ¼ x 25 ½ x 8 ¼ in
47 ¼ x 25 ½ x 8 ¼ in
637a
Further images
Regency carved giltwood convex mirror, surmounted with a carved griffin crest. The convex plate within a reeded ebony slip with a carved border in the inner frame. The foliate carved...
Regency carved giltwood convex mirror, surmounted with a carved griffin crest. The convex plate within a reeded ebony slip with a carved border in the inner frame. The foliate carved and gilded apron issuing two naturalistic branches with candleholders, each comprised of a brass knop and drip pan and a cut-glass sconce.
It is rare to find a griffin surmount on such a mirror - eagles are a more common, purely decorative choice. The presentation of the griffin as a crest suggests it was created for a particular family. Fairbairns Crests of the Families of Great Britain and Ireland Vol. 2 (1905) illustrates a similar griffin crest pl. 18 n 6). However, many family names are associated with the emblem.
Wills writes 'More important convex glasses were surmounted by the coat of arms of the original owner, and others were fitted with candle-arms of complex pattern.' (Geoffrey Wills, English Looking Glasses, A study of the glass, frames and makers (1670 - 1820), 1965 p. 36).
In ‘The Cabinet Dictionary’ of 1803, Thomas Sheraton writes of the convex mirror that the ‘perspective of the room in which they are suspended, presents itself on the surface of the mirror, and produces an agreeable effect. On this account, as well as for the convenience of holding lights, they are now become universally in fashion, and are considered both as a useful and ornamental piece of furniture.’ (Thomas Sheraton, ‘The Cabinet Dictionary’, p. 271).
It is rare to find a griffin surmount on such a mirror - eagles are a more common, purely decorative choice. The presentation of the griffin as a crest suggests it was created for a particular family. Fairbairns Crests of the Families of Great Britain and Ireland Vol. 2 (1905) illustrates a similar griffin crest pl. 18 n 6). However, many family names are associated with the emblem.
Wills writes 'More important convex glasses were surmounted by the coat of arms of the original owner, and others were fitted with candle-arms of complex pattern.' (Geoffrey Wills, English Looking Glasses, A study of the glass, frames and makers (1670 - 1820), 1965 p. 36).
In ‘The Cabinet Dictionary’ of 1803, Thomas Sheraton writes of the convex mirror that the ‘perspective of the room in which they are suspended, presents itself on the surface of the mirror, and produces an agreeable effect. On this account, as well as for the convenience of holding lights, they are now become universally in fashion, and are considered both as a useful and ornamental piece of furniture.’ (Thomas Sheraton, ‘The Cabinet Dictionary’, p. 271).