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拍品专文
This grand mirror encapsulates the naturalistic, highly individual designs frequently termed the 'French Picturesque Fashion' that prevailed in important commissions at the middle of the 18th Century. Its distinctive combination of entwined branches and icicles draws upon the designs of London cabinet-maker Matthias Lock (d.1765) in his 1752 New Book of Ornament as well as those of William and John Linnell. Designs with the same unusual balustrading can be seen in several of the mirror drawings in 1758 by Thomas Johnson. Pattern books were available via subscription and an industrious cabinet-maker or connoisseur could purchase them to inspire future commissions.
Though the maker of this mirror is currently unknown, other mirrors of the same date with equally lushly carved frames and closely related characteristics underline the popularity and variety of such designs. They include a mirror with Mallett, London and illustrated in G. Wills, English Looking Glasses, New York, 1965, p.86 fig 85. Another example in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum illustrated in H.F. Schiffer, The Mirror Book, Pennsylvania, 1983, fig. 260. A mirror in the collection of Dumfries House by William Mathie, circa 1759, indicates the far reaching influence and diverse interpretations of this style. This mirror was originally conceived for the drawing room, and though it shares the same scale and decorative elements, they are presented in a sparer format. A further closely related pair of mirrors was sold from the Estate of Ogden Phipps, Sotheby's, New York, 19 October 2002, lot 125 ($174,500, including buyer's premium).
Though the maker of this mirror is currently unknown, other mirrors of the same date with equally lushly carved frames and closely related characteristics underline the popularity and variety of such designs. They include a mirror with Mallett, London and illustrated in G. Wills, English Looking Glasses, New York, 1965, p.86 fig 85. Another example in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum illustrated in H.F. Schiffer, The Mirror Book, Pennsylvania, 1983, fig. 260. A mirror in the collection of Dumfries House by William Mathie, circa 1759, indicates the far reaching influence and diverse interpretations of this style. This mirror was originally conceived for the drawing room, and though it shares the same scale and decorative elements, they are presented in a sparer format. A further closely related pair of mirrors was sold from the Estate of Ogden Phipps, Sotheby's, New York, 19 October 2002, lot 125 ($174,500, including buyer's premium).