Frame for a Mirror with Two Parcloses (Post-conservation)

Palm leaves wrapped with floral garlands surround this tall mirror's frame, probably echoing the design of a carved console table that originally stood beneath. Above the frame, a plain wooden reserve now replaces a lost painted canvas. The two narrow side panels indicate that the walls of the original interior may have been hung with fabric, rather than fitted completely with paneling. Two paper trade labels for the marchand-mercier François-Charles Darnault, who had several shops and supplied the French royal family with furniture, are still pasted behind the mirror and one panel.

By the middle of the 1700s, tall mirrors were common features in interiors. During the day, they improved lighting in large rooms by magnifying daylight from windows, while at night they reflected the candlelight from the surrounding chandeliers and wall lights. Mirror-makers in the 1700s were unable to produce single sheets of glass large enough to fill an entire frame, forcing them instead to use two pieces fitted together.