Antique Mahogany Triptych Dressing Mirror

The Coilsfield House Set of Three Late 19th Century Silvered Green Painted mirrors by Gillows Provenance: The Earls of Eglinton, at Coilsfield House, later Montgomerie House, bui...

A Rare and Unusual Pair of 18th Century Spanish Colonial 'Enconchado' Mirrors Veneered in Tortoiseshell and Inlaid With Bone and Mother of Pearl Made in Lima (Peru) or Mexico Circa 1720 Provenance One of the mirrors with a fragmentary label printed with "Bodmer", possibly relating to one of the branches of the Bodmer family in Switzerland, some of whom were renowned collectors of South American art The mirrors of rectangular form with ripple moulded outer borders framing tortoishell veneered inner borders inlaid with fine bone stringing and sinuous floral motifs inlaid in mother of pearl. The sight edges also veneered and inlaid with a repeating geometric motif. The mirrors are notable for the fine quality of the inlay, their unusually large size for this date, in particular the size of the plates themselves (possibly original) and the fact that they are a pair. The term 'Enconchado' comes from Spanish colonial art, particularly associated with Mexico, comprising of oil paintings inlaid with mother of pearl and other iridescent minerals. This form of art is discussed in great detail by Miguel Arisa in his essay Luminosity in Mexican Enconchado Paintings and Conceptions of the Sacred in Visual Culture and Indigenous Agency in the Early Americas, The Early Americas: History and Culture, Volume: 10 Chapter 4 (October 2021). He argues that the development of this style was an attempt to combine pre-Hispanic indigenous South American traditions regarding the sacred properties of "shiny objects" and "Baroque concepts of the miraculous", the sparkling inlay adding to the power of the European religious imagery. Mirrors such as the present pair are likewise cross-cultural objects, fusing European form and aesthetic concerns with indigenous craftsmanship to create objects of great prestige and decorative appeal. The ripple mouldings are clearly the result of a 17th century Dutch...

An extremely elegant, rare Regency amboyna and brass inlaid gilt bronze mounted pier table. Provenance Part of Sir William Whitfield Collection. English Regency period, Circa 1815. The raised back with open shelf, surmounted by a pierced anthemion three quarter brass gallery above a rectangular mirror plate, flanked by gilt bronze pierced foliate scrolled supports, over a finely coloured amboyna and banded top above cut brass inlaid frieze drawer decorated with anthemion and flower head motif. The dual tapering scroll supports with palmette lappet surmounts and cut brass inlay terminate on gilt bronze claw feet, flanking a later large mirror plate to the rear, raised on a inverted breakfront plinth base edged with gilt bonze beading. Formerly in the collection of Sir William Whitfield. This elegant Regency pier table is a superb example with its fine quality mounts and distinctive amboyna veneers which are rarely found on furniture of this period. The condition is excellent, having the most wonderful colour and patination to the finest cuts of amboyna that would have been available, during the early 19th century this veneer was thought to be worth more in its weight than gold. This table would have almost certainly been especially commissioned, further research maybe undertaken to find a comparative example and insight to a potential maker. As such pieces in amboyna are far rarer, an example of pier table has yet to be found, but an amboyna sofa table with extremely similar brass inlay and form can be seen in Clifford Musgrave’s book Regency Furniture, published by Faber and Faber in 1961, plate 63. It is from the Royal Collection and the caption includes ‘made about 1816 for Clarement,’ (Claremont) ‘ Esher, Surrey, home of the Princess Charlotte...

Wonderful Quality French Aesthetic Period “Japonisme” Faux Bamboo Hall Stand of Grand Proportions with Central Mirror French Circa 1890 Of b...