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ID #SA1242904
FOR SALE
£390
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18th Century French Giltwood Birds Marriage Mirror
For sale by French Antique Company
for sale €456     $495
£390
French Antique Company

French Antique Company

Sellingantiques Verified Since Oct 2019
Browse dealers 22 items
  • About Us
    Specialising in french antique mirrors and chandeliers.
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Id #SA1242904
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18th Century French Giltwood Birds Marriage Mirror

18th century
Description

18th century French gilt wood marriage mirror in excellent condition.

It dates from the late 1700s.

These mirrors were given to married couple on their wedding day.

It has its ornate hand carved real gilt wood frame with lovely bird, laurel leaf and floral

detail.

It has its original mercury glass with heavy foxing.

It has its original oak back.

More/better photos to follow.

Date of Manufacture

French Antique Company has dated this French Giltwood Marriage Mirror to the 18th Century.

Independent Date Check ID 09700328
Dealer's Item Date18th Century
Sellingantiques Date18th Century
Sellingantiques agingItem 220-255 years old
Test ResultsPassed dating check
Why Sellingantiques dated this piece to THE 18TH CENTURY:
Red bole showing where the gilding has worn: traditional water gilding.
Rough-sawn backboard darkened with deep oxidisation: untouched early timber backing.
Flaking and grey mottling behind the glass: mercury silvering breakdown.
Gouge marks on the unpolished cresting reverse: hand carving before mechanised tools.

This is an independent date report produced by Sellingantiques using its own proprietary system. The process uses the photographs shown on this page. The system is never told the date the dealer has declared. This report shows that the two dates corroborate.

Physical Dimensions
Height
68cm (26.77")
Width
37cm (14.57")
Reference Numbers
Sellingantiques Reference
SA1242904
Dealers Internal Reference
11282
Dealers Notes

Delivery £65 to most of mainland UK using a trusted, specialist antiques courier.

Description
18th century French gilt wood marriage mirror in excellent condition.

It dates from the late 1700s.

These mirrors were given to married couple on their wedding day.

It has its ornate hand carved real gilt wood frame with lovely bird, laurel leaf and floral

detail.

It has its original mercury glass with heavy foxing.

It has its original oak back.

More/better photos to follow.

Date of Manufacture

French Antique Company has dated this French Giltwood Marriage Mirror to the 18th Century.

Independent Date Report ID 09700328
Dealer's Item Date18th Century
Sellingantiques dating18th Century
Sellingantiques agingItem 220-255 years old
Test ResultsPassed dating check
Why Sellingantiques dated this piece to the 18th Century:
Red bole showing where the gilding has worn: traditional water gilding.
Rough-sawn backboard darkened with deep oxidisation: untouched early timber backing.
Flaking and grey mottling behind the glass: mercury silvering breakdown.
Gouge marks on the unpolished cresting reverse: hand carving before mechanised tools.

This is an independent date report produced by Sellingantiques using its own proprietary system. The process uses the photographs shown on this page. The system is never told the date the dealer has declared. This report shows that the two dates corroborate.

Height
68cm (26.77")
Width
37cm (14.57")
Reference Numbers
Sellingantiques Ref
SA1242904
Dealers Internal Ref
11282
French Antique Company
French Antique Company
Sellingantiques verified Since Oct 2019

Specialising in french antique mirrors and chandeliers.

Dealer Profile

You can view the stock and full dealer information on the French Antique Company Profile Page

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An 18th-century French giltwood wall mirror featuring a carved bird crest, beaded border, and foxed reflective glass.
1 / 4
Archive I An 18th-century French giltwood wall mirror featuring a carved bird crest, beaded border, and foxed reflective glass.

18th Century French Giltwood Birds Marriage Mirror

Archive II An 18th-century French giltwood wall mirror featuring a carved bird crest, beaded border, and foxed reflective glass. View II
Archive III An 18th-century French giltwood wall mirror featuring a carved bird crest, beaded border, and foxed reflective glass. View III
Archive IV An 18th-century French giltwood wall mirror featuring a carved bird crest, beaded border, and foxed reflective glass. View IV
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Enlarged Archival View
French Antique Company

French Antique Company
Telephone 07899 864960
Location
Hove
East Sussex
United Kingdom

By appointment only.
Dealer Profile Page sellingantiques.co.uk/frenchantiquecompany
Verified Since Oct 2019
Items For Sale 22
Items Sold 696
French Antique Company
French Antique Company
Verified Since Oct 2019
View Dealer Info
Location: Hove, East Sussex, United Kingdom, , By appointment only.
Profile: sellingantiques.co.uk/frenchantiquecompany
Verified
Oct 2019
For Sale
22
Sold
696
An 18th-century French giltwood wall mirror featuring a carved bird crest, beaded border, and foxed reflective glass.
18th century French giltwood birds marriage mirror
Ref: SA1242904
An 18th-century French giltwood wall mirror featuring a carved bird crest, beaded border, and foxed reflective glass.
Detail View 1
Detail View 2
Detail View 3
Archival Detail

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Cataloguer’s note

Written by Sellingantiques from the dealer’s photographs and listing
  • ObjectWall Mirrors
  • Period18th century
  • StyleFrench Louis XV
  • MaterialGiltwood, Glass, Gesso
  • ColourGold
  • MotifsCarved bird crest, Beaded inner border, Basket weave motif, Floral rosettes
  • SizeH 68 cm (27 in) x W 37 cm (15 in)

This eighteenth century French Louis XV marriage mirror comes from the late 1700s, traditional wedding gifts given to couples on their special day. The wall hanging piece uses giltwood, gesso, and glass materials in a gold colour scheme. An ornate hand carved real gilt wood frame displays a carved bird crest, laurel leaf motifs, floral rosettes, and basket weave details. A beaded inner border surrounds the original mercury glass plate, which exhibits heavy foxing, and the item retains its original oak back. The item measures 68 cm high and 37 cm wide in practical terms. Placed above a sideboard in a dining room, hallway, or living space, it brings historic French chateau style to a home today.

FAQs

A French marriage mirror, or miroir de mariage, was traditionally presented as a wedding gift in 18th-century France. These pieces feature carved crestings containing symbolic motifs such as billing birds, doves, or baskets of flowers representing love, fidelity, and marital prosperity.

These mirrors were crafted using hand-carved softwoods, such as lime or pine, coated in layers of gesso and finished with water-gilding using thin gold leaf. The reflective glass plates were backed with mercury amalgam, which creates a characteristic soft sheen and gentle aging.

Authentic period pieces display hand-chiselled wood carving on the reverse, square-cut or hand-forged fixings, and foxing on the mercury glass. The gilded surface typically reveals red or grey clay bole beneath areas where the gold leaf has worn naturally over centuries.

Positioning a gilded mirror above a contemporary sideboard or fireplace mantel creates an effective juxtaposition between historic craftsmanship and modern architecture. The reflective surface introduces light and spatial depth to neutral interior schemes.

Avoid liquid glass cleaners or chemical sprays, as moisture can seep under the frame and degrade the gesso or silvering. Gently remove dust from the carved frame using a dry camel-hair brush, and clean the glass plate with a lightly dampened microfibre cloth.
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