Antique frame with modern mirror glass

This mirror frame originally formed one element of a larger suite of wood paneling. It would perhaps have been placed between two windows over a console table. Menuisiers en bâtiment(carved furniture makers) specialized in such interior fixtures, but since these men were not required to sign or stamp their work, scholars have difficulty identifying the individuals who produced these carvings. The frame is richly carved, with bold gadrooning along the outside edge of the mirror. On the top, a female mask adorns a diaper-patterned background.

Mirror glass was extremely expensive in the 1700s because it was difficult to make and transport. Large sheets were rare, and most people had to make do with smaller ones. The modern glass is divided into two pieces, as the original would have been. It was not until the end of the 1700s that skilled craftsmen could produce large enough sheets of glass to fill an entire frame of this size.