Looking Glass
1829–35
Medium
Glass, gesso
Dimensions
35 1/2 x 65 3/16 in. (90.2 x 165.6 cm)
Classification
Looking glass
Culture
American
Department
The American Wing
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Leo D. Bretter, 1979
Accession Number
1979.393.1
Art Historical Context
Isaac Platt's *Looking Glass* (182–35) is a stunning example of early 19th-century American decorative arts, crafted the Federal period when opulent home furnishings symbolized refined taste and prosperity. This large pier mirror, measuring over 5 feet wide, would have graced a parlor mantel or wall in a fashionable American home, reflecting not just images but the era's growing affluence amid rapid urbanization and neoclassical influences. Made of glass and gesso—a plaster-based material often gilded or painted for intricate detailing—the frame showcases the skilled handiwork of Platt, a not...