Dressing mirror; Spanish or novohispanic work; second half of the XVIII century.

Dressing mirror; Spanish or novohispano work; second half of the eighteenth century.
Silver, wood and glass.
Measurements: 46 x 28 x 3 cm.
Silverware is one of the most refined manifestations of sumptuary art in the Hispanic sphere during the second half of the 18th century. These pieces, intended for domestic use and linked to the intimate space of personal hygiene, reflect not only the high technical level reached by the silversmiths' workshops, but also the changes in the customs and material culture of the time, marked by a growing attention to comfort, appearance and decorum.
In the Spanish and novo-Hispanic context, the use of silver acquired a remarkable symbolic and social value. Beyond its practical function, it became an object of prestige, associated with the urban elite and wealthy court and Creole circles. Its presence in domestic interiors was evidence of a taste for moderate luxury and controlled ostentation, in keeping with the Enlightenment ideals of order and refinement.
From the artistic point of view, these works stand out for the quality of their workmanship and the richness of their decorative repertoire, in which late baroque elements coexist with the first formulations of rococo and neoclassicism. Roles, vegetal motifs, cartouches and sinuous moldings are harmoniously integrated into balanced structures, revealing a remarkable capacity for stylistic adaptation on the part of the silversmiths. In the novo-Hispanic sphere, these pieces often incorporate their own ornamental sensibility, characterized by a greater formal exuberance and a local interpretation of the peninsular models.