What is a triptych dressing mirror?

A central plate with two hinged side wings that fold in against it. Eleven titles use the word, and related listings say triple, trifold or tri fold. They fall mostly in the 1900s to 1930s, which puts them alongside the Art Deco and vanity mirrors rather than the Georgian swing mirrors.

Are table mirrors ever sold in pairs?

Very scarce. Three pairs occur across the whole archive: one in gilt metal, one Art Deco, and one in gilt bronze with marble. Everything else comes singly.

How many come up for sale each year?

Around sixty-three reach the market on Sellingantiques in a year, and 210 different dealers have listed one. That spread tells you something. It's a category almost every general furniture dealer touches at some point, rather than a specialism.

Which woods do these mirrors turn up in?

Mahogany accounts for a little under half of all titles, with walnut next and oak behind it. Satinwood appears in ten. After that the list runs in ones and twos: rosewood, kingwood, amboyda, yew, harewood, laburnum, burr maple, Oregon pine, Swedish birch, teak and Sorrento olive wood.

Do unusual or foreign examples appear?

Once in a blue moon. A Dutch Delft mirror on a wooden backing, an Italian reliquary mirror, a Chinese Qing mother-of-pearl inlaid cheval, a Black Forest carved lime wood frame and a Murano glass frame of about 1925 each turn up. The outright oddities appear once and nowhere else: a boot maker's mirror, a jeweller's plateau mirror, a pair of "sorcerer type" plateau mirrors, a scientific optical mirror and a campaign box mirror.

Why do period labels in titles disagree with dates?

Labels are applied loosely across this category. Several titles say Georgian while the dated field reads Regency, or the other way round. Only 204 of 638 listings carry a clean year at all. The rest are placed by reign or century, and the largest single bucket is the broad "19th Century". So the period word in a title is best read as an approximation.

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Antique Table Mirrors

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A small free-standing mirror made to sit on a dressing table or chest, the plate tilting between two uprights, often over a shallow base fitted with a drawer or two for combs and trinkets.