How many overmantle mirrors are listed each year?

Around 269 a year on Sellingantiques, handled by 127 different dealers. That makes it one of the most broadly carried mirror forms in the archive. Supply is steady rather than seasonal, and the English gilt gesso frames make up the bulk of it.

What period do most of them come from?

The dated field runs from 1750 to 1960, but the weight sits in the third quarter of the 19th century onward. The 1860s, 1870s and 1880s alone account for 1,394 dated listings. A large block carries only a loose date, 367 reading simply '19th Century' and 118 'Victorian'. Those are a dealer's period judgement rather than a year. Earlier 18th-century entries are the thin end of the range, not a real population.

Why are so many frames described as gesso?

Gesso is a plaster composition applied over a carved wood carcass. It takes moulded ornament cleanly and gives gilding a smooth ground, which suited frames made in quantity. It appears in about a quarter of titles, almost always paired with carved wood, and usually finished in gilt.

Are French overmantles common in this category?

They form the largest group after the English frames. French gilt frames and trumeau types come up regularly, along with Louis Philippe, Louis XVI and chateau descriptions. Origins beyond England and France are curiosities. Single Irish, Spanish, Dutch, Japanese lacquered and Italian Venetian etched-glass examples appear across the whole sample.

What shapes turn up besides the arched top?

Arch top dominates, but the shape vocabulary in titles is inventive. Hour glass, horse shoe, waisted, cushion, ribbon top and simulated bamboo frames each appear only once or twice. Landscape format, wider than tall, was made for a low chimney breast and shows up among Regency and Georgian pieces.

Which names appear on overmantle mirrors?

One only clears the three-dealer threshold across the whole archive: Nosotti, on a stamped giltwood mirror. The English gesso mirrors are described by material and shape, not by workshop. French pieces are rarely tied to a named maker or retailer either.