Rococo Revival table girandole mirror

English, c.1845–1860.

A highly unusual mid-19th century table-standing girandole mirror, carved in giltwood in the Rococo Revival manner. The oval frame is enriched with floral and rocaille ornament and supported on two scrolling giltwood uprights with boldly modelled feet. The piece retains its original sand-cast brass candle arms, and the mirror is mounted using early Victorian Cope & Austin Patent brass hinge fittings, an identifiable Birmingham brass manufacturer active in the 1840s–50s and frequently supplying quality London framemakers.

The mirror plate is original and features the characteristic deterioration of mercury silvering, with areas of foxing, crystallisation and silver loss revealing sections of the period paper backing. The original blue linen gasket is still visible between the plate and the rebate. Surviving table-form girandoles of this type are exceptionally scarce, most 19th-century girandoles having been produced as wall mirrors; this hybrid form reflects the specialist work of mid-century London and provincial gilding shops, often incorporating Continental (particularly Florentine) carving influences.

Condition

Historical wear and losses to the gilding and gesso consistent with age. The feet and lower supports show old structural repairs secured with metal strengthening plates (Victorian and later), now stable and serviceable. Brass candle arms original with untouched patina. Mercury plate original and unrestored. No later replacements detected.

A rare surviving example of a mid-19th-century table girandole, complete and retaining all principal original components.