An exceptional and highly decorative late 19th-century French Louis XVI style oval wall mirror.This piece is finely cast in heavy bronze and features its original, beautifully aged gilt finish.The mirror frame is superbly sculpted with a prominent, deeply chased ribbon bow-crest at the apex. The flowing ribbon tails intertwine elegantly with deeply undercut floral garlands, acanthus leaves, and trailing vine motifs that border the entire oval perimeter. The crispness of the incised lines and the varied textures highlight the superior hand-chased foundry work typical of late- Victorian era Parisian metalwork.The reverse side offers definitive proof of its 19th-century origin. It features a traditional rough sand-cast hollowed profile, complete with irregular, hand-cut square nuts and hand-slotted alignment screws. The reverse is fully enclosed by its period-correct, custom-fitted zinc/sheet metal backing plate, which historically served to protect the mirror plate from moist...