Looking glass

Date1715-1735

Attributed to John Belchier d. 1753

MediumOak, deal, gesso, gold, silvered glass

DimensionsOH: 6' 2 1/2"; OW: 32 1/2"

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1975-249

DescriptionGilded rectangular looking glass, arched frame carved with tightly controlled strapwork, very formal shells, and finely detailed eagles' (bird's) heads carved into the frame.Label TextDuring the late baroque period it was not uncommon for looking glasses to retain the verticality of design that chairs and other pieces of furniture had achieved in the late seventeenth century. Yet the formality of the elate baroque imparted a wholly different appearance to objects produced during the first third of the eighteenth century. Compare, for example, the tightly controlled strapwork, the very formal shells, and the finely detailed eagles' heads carved into the frame of this glass with the plump, exuberant cherubs and foliage the spill over the frame of the earlier silvered glass to your right.

This looking glass has survived in remarkably good condition, even retaining most of its original gilt surface. It is very close in both concept and detail to mirrors produced during the 1720s by London cabinetmaker and glass grinder John Belchier (d. 1753). Among Belchier's many clients were several members of the English nobility, but records also indicate that he supplied furnishings for Marlborough plantation, the Stafford County, Virginia home of planter and lawyer John Mercer.Inscription(s)"Mr B Bedroom" inscribed in script in pencil on the upper portion of the backboard.Mark(s)NoProvenanceSimon Redburn Fine Arts Limited