Are all trumeau mirrors French?

No. Around six in ten titles say French, and the painted-and-gilt French frame is the core of the category. Other origins turn up only rarely. Two Swedish, two Dutch, two Italian and a Biedermeier example or two account for nearly all the rest, alongside British Regency and Georgian pier glasses listed under the same heading.

How old are they usually?

The dated field runs 1750 to 1930, though fewer than half the listings carry a clean year. Sixty-five are dated no more precisely than "19th Century", which makes that the single largest period entry. Where decades are given, the 1880s and 1870s lead, with a smaller early 20th-century group. Eighteenth-century examples are scarce, with eight clean years before 1800.

What sits above the mirror plate?

Commonly a painted panel or oil on canvas. Subjects named in titles include still life, pastoral landscape, neo-classical scenes, cherubs, a religious scene, an equestrian oil and a seascape of galleons at sea. Others carry a carved relief plaque, a reverse glass print, or simply a moulded cornice with no picture at all.

Tall is the norm. Quoted heights include 170cm, 178cm, 181cm and 218cm. The tallest recorded in a title stands 260cm, a little over eight and a half feet. Large is a recurring word in titles across the category.

Do they come in pairs?

Rarely. Only about half a dozen pairs appear across the whole archive, among them Empire pier mirrors, Louis XV style trumeaux, Second Empire mirrors and Geo IV giltwood. Every one of them sits at the very top of the range.

Are trumeau mirrors always hung on the wall?

Almost always. The form was made for the pier of wall between windows or above a chimneypiece. Two exceptions appear in the archive: one mirror mounted on its own console table, and an Italian example standing on a plinth. Terms like leaner, easel mirror and floor standing pier glass surface only once or twice.

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Antique Trumeau Mirrors

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A tall wall mirror in a carved wood and gesso frame, commonly French, with a painted panel or moulded upper section set above the plate, made for the pier of wall between windows or over a chimneypiece.