Wall mirror
Unknown Artist
ca. 1725–30
Medium
Carved and gilded oak
Dimensions
41 3/4 × 30 × 3 in. (106 × 76.2 × 7.6 cm)
Classification
Woodwork-Furniture
Culture
French
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Lesley and Emma Sheafer Collection, Bequest of Emma A. Sheafer, 1973
Accession Number
1974.356.172
Art Historical Context
This exquisite wall mirror, crafted in France around 1725–30, exemplifies the opulence of the Régence period, a transitional era between the grandeur of Louis XIV's Baroque and the playful Rococo of Louis XV. Fashioned from carved and gilded oak, its frame would have been meticulously sculpted with intricate motifs—likely scrolling foliage and asymmetrical curves characteristic of the time—then lavishly coated in gold leaf to catch and reflect candlelight in lavish interiors. Standing over 41 inches tall, it served not just as a functional object but as a statement of refined taste and wealth ...