for sale €1,931 $2,096

£1,650

Regent Antiques

Sellingantiques Verified Since Sep 2016

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Grapevine Carved Mirror

Gilt Decorative Wall Mirror

Id #SA761083

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Antique Italian Giltwood Mirror Carved with Fruiting Vines 19th C 78x56cm

19th century

For Sale by Regent Antiques

Description

This is a truly spectacular antique Italian giltwood framed mirror, circa 1860 in date.

The bevelled rectangular mirror plate has a superbly carved giltwood frame decorated with splendid bold leaf scroll decoration and magnificent carved fruiting vines, which add a sense of extra opulence to this extraordinary piece.

This beautiful mirror will surely make a statement in any room.

Condition:

In really excellent condition, please see photos for confirmation.

Dimensions in cm:

Height 78 x Width 56 x Depth 8

Dimensions in inches:

Height 30.7 x Width 22.0 x Depth 3.1

Mirrors are commonly used for personal grooming or admiring oneself (in which case the archaic term looking-glass is sometimes still used), decoration, and architecture.

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 to corrosion. 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 of plate glass was invented by 16th-century Venetian glassmakers on the island of Murano, who covered the back of the glass with mercury, 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.

Our reference: 09749

Physical Dimensions

Height

78cm (30.71")

Width

56cm (22.05")

Depth

8cm (3.15")

Declaration

Regent Antiques has dated this Italian Giltwood Wall Mirror to the 19th Century.

Reference Numbers

Sellingantiques Reference

SA761083

Dealers Internal Reference

09749

Description

This is a truly spectacular antique Italian giltwood framed mirror, circa 1860 in date.

The bevelled rectangular mirror plate has a superbly carved giltwood frame decorated with splendid bold leaf scroll decoration and magnificent carved fruiting vines, which add a sense of extra opulence to this extraordinary piece.

fig 1. A 19th-century Italian giltwood wall mirror featuring a carved frame with fruiting grapevine motifs, acanthus scrolls, and an ornate cresting. — fig 1. Antique Italian Giltwood Mirror Carved with Fruiting Vines 19th C 78x56cm

This beautiful mirror will surely make a statement in any room.

Condition:

In really excellent condition, please see photos for confirmation.

Dimensions in cm:

Height 78 x Width 56 x Depth 8

Dimensions in inches:

fig 2. A 19th-century Italian giltwood wall mirror featuring a carved frame with fruiting grapevine motifs, acanthus scrolls, and an ornate cresting. — fig 2. Antique Italian Giltwood Mirror Carved with Fruiting Vines 19th C 78x56cm

Height 30.7 x Width 22.0 x Depth 3.1

“

Mirrors are commonly used for personal grooming or admiring oneself (in which case the archaic term looking-glass is sometimes still used), decoration, and architecture.

Regent Antiques

fig 3. A 19th-century Italian giltwood wall mirror featuring a carved frame with fruiting grapevine motifs, acanthus scrolls, and an ornate cresting. — fig 3. Antique Italian Giltwood Mirror Carved with Fruiting Vines 19th C 78x56cm

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 to corrosion. 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.

fig 4. A 19th-century Italian giltwood wall mirror featuring a carved frame with fruiting grapevine motifs, acanthus scrolls, and an ornate cresting. — fig 4. Antique Italian Giltwood Mirror Carved with Fruiting Vines 19th C 78x56cm

The method of making mirrors out of plate glass was invented by 16th-century Venetian glassmakers on the island of Murano, who covered the back of the glass with mercury, 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.

Our reference: 09749

Physical Dimensions

Height

78cm (30.71")

Width

56cm (22.05")

Depth

8cm (3.15")

Date of Manufacture

Regent Antiques has dated this Italian Giltwood Wall Mirror to the 19th Century.

Reference Numbers

Sellingantiques Ref

SA761083

Dealers Internal Ref

09749

About the Dealer

Regent Antiques

Sellingantiques verified Since Sep 2016

We specialise in english and continental furniture, silver, porcelain and decorative items.

Dealer Profile

You can view the stock and full dealer information on the Regent Antiques Profile Page

Trade Associations

Regent Antiques is a registered member of LAPADA CINOA

PDF

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A 19th-century Italian giltwood wall mirror featuring a carved frame with fruiting grapevine motifs, acanthus scrolls, and an ornate cresting.

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Archive I

Antique Italian Giltwood Mirror Carved with Fruiting Vines 19th C 78x56cm

Archive II

A 19th-century Italian giltwood wall mirror featuring a carved frame with fruiting grapevine motifs, acanthus scrolls, and an ornate cresting. View II

Archive III

Archive IV

Archive V

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Archive VII

Archive VIII

Italian Rococo Revival mirrors from the 19th century are characterised by asymmetrical scrollwork, naturalistic motifs such as foliage and fruiting vines, dynamic cresting, and elaborate giltwood frames that emulate 18th-century design traditions.

Traditional giltwood frames were carved from solid timber, covered with layers of natural gesso plaster, and layered with clay bole before ultra-thin sheets of gold leaf were applied and burnished to create a luminous metallic finish.

Authentic giltwood displays natural wear showing red or yellow clay bole beneath the gold leaf, hand-carving tool marks, aged wooden backboards with antique iron fixings, and gentle cracking known as craquelure along the gesso layer.

An antique giltwood mirror serves as a focal point when positioned above a minimalist mantelpiece, a contemporary console table, or hung in a dining room to reflect light and contrast with simple, modern architecture.

Dust giltwood frames gently using a soft, dry camel-hair brush or feather duster; avoid using liquid cleaners, water, or commercial polishes, as moisture dissolves the water-based gesso and strips the fragile gold leaf.

Regent Antiques

Antique Italian Giltwood Mirror Carved with Fruiting Vines 19th C 78x56cm

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