A PAIR OF GEORGE III CHIPPENDALE STYLE GILTWOOD PIER MIRRORS

Fernandes & Marche, London

The high quality virtuoso carving of this impressive pair demonstrates a thorough understanding of the varied Gothic, Chinese and naturalistic influences of the mature English rococo style in mirror design.

The carver has derived inspiration from a myriad of sources, notably the designs for richly ornamented pier glasses in Plates CXLII and CXLIII of Thomas Chippendale's Gentleman and Cabinet-maker's Director (1754). The skillful use of C-scrolls, rockwork and a pierced pavilion-like structure on the cresting also appears in the mirror designs of Thomas Johnson published in 1758. Probably the most direct influence are the designs published by Chippendale's rivals Ince and Mayhew in their 1762 Universal System of Household Furniture. Plates LXXX and LXXXII illustrate pier glasses with a comparable pavilion crest, central cartouche along the lower rail and tree branch uprights flanking the central plate.