Did You Know?
Mirror (n.) - a reflecting surface, originally of polished metal but now usually of glass with a silvery, metallic, or amalgam backing.
The typical mirror of today is made from a sheet of glass coated with aluminium or silver on the reverse to produce images by reflection. However, historically early
mirrors as evidenced by Greco-Roman artefacts and seen through the European Middle Ages
were actually made from highly polished convex discs of metal such as tin, bronze or silver.
Mirrors have a long and rich history both as household objects and as objects of decoration yet the very earliest mirrors were neither of these – they were hand held looking glasses. Mirrors large enough to reflect the whole body were first used around the 1st Century AD.
The use of glass with a metallic backing dates back to the late 12th Century but only came into wider production during the 16th Century. With Venice and Nurnberg having outstanding reputations in the field. From this time onwards the skilled craftsmen of Venice, renowned for their quality craftsmanship, succumbed to the temptation of sharing their secrets and by the mid 17th Century both London and Paris were also becoming renowned for their quality mirrors. Generally at this time mirrors were very expensive, especially large mirrors and it has to be said that much of the interest and wonderment related to the spectacle of the Palace of Versailles was due to the profusion of beautiful mirrors used to dress it’s interior halls and state rooms.
From the late 17th Century mirrors, with and without frames, became a key element of interior design and around this time it became the fashion the place a framed mirror above the mantelpiece. Whilst most mirror frames at this time were made frame ivory, silver, ebony or marquetry of olive, walnut and laburnum many of the early versions of this type of mirror, known as an overmantle, were enclosed in glass frames.
With improved skill in mirror making came the introduction of cheval glass. Glass for full length, free-standing mirrors supported on a frame with four feet. These were mainly used for dressing purposes though also used for decorative purposes.
New techniques in mirror production in the 19th Century and beyond slowly brought the cost of mirrors to within the budgets of the majority of households. Mirrors began to be incorporated into pieces of furniture, such as wardrobes and sideboards, but were also increasingly used as key features in interior design for both domestic and public places. It is recognised that the inclusion of a mirror, whether mall mounted, free-standing or as part of a piece of furniture, will almost always contribute to the success of an interior.