Pier glass mirror (one of a pair)
Unknown Artist
ca. 1760
Medium
Carved and gilt linden wood, glass
Dimensions
.1: 9 ft. 6 in. × 55 in. (289.6 × 139.7 cm)
Classification
Woodwork-Furniture
Culture
British
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, Morris Loeb Bequest, 1955
Accession Number
55.43.1
Tags
Art Historical Context
This elegant pier glass mirror, one of matching pair crafted around 1760, exemplifies the opulent British decorative arts of the Georgian era. Standing nearly 9 feet tall and slender at 55 inches wide, was designed to fit between windows in grand country houses or London townhouses, reflecting candlelight and multiplying the illusion of space and splendor. carved and gilt linden wood frame—weight limewood ideal for intricate detailingshowcases the Chinoiserie style, a whimsical European fantasy of Chinese motifs like pagodas, exotic birds, and flowing foliage, blended with Rococo asymmetry. C...