Mirror; France, 19th c.

Mirror; France, 19th c.
Silver-plated bronze
Measurements: 130 x 113 cm.

Rectangular mirror with a richly ornamented silvered bronze frame in neo-Renaissance style. The variegated composition shows a clear "horror vacui", where every available space is occupied by decorative motifs.

The central frieze of the frame develops a succession of intertwined vegetal scrolls, among which birds and little lovebirds are integrated in lively interaction. Some of the latter carry bowls overflowing with fruit, from which the birds themselves peck. This central frieze is delimited by two ornamental moldings: the inner one, decorated with a sequence of flowers arranged in the manner of guilloché and small vegetal motifs, and the outer one, where a wider scheme of leaves and scrolls is repeated. On the upper crossbar, the focal point is a central oval frame flanked by two reclining figures, treated in the classic Italian Renaissance manner.