Looking Glass Gallery
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Gilded Architectural Looking Glass
This architectural looking glass frame is an accurate copy of an original which we purchased from an antique dealer from the state of Maine. The bass wood frame is gilded with 23K gold leaf. The pine rope columns are carved rather than turned, as were the originals. The cornice is adorned with 17 gilded spheres. The upper glass has a gold etching of a Trophy of Music, a popular decorative theme for furniture in America in the late 1700’s and early 1800’s. The back is covered with a chamfered pine board. Approximate size (including cornice): 20 by 29 inches.
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Tall Stenciled Half Column Looking Glass
This frame is similar to an original in our collection found in upstate New York. The figured mahogany veneered pine frame has ebonized and bronze powder stenciled half columns. The plinth blocks are adorned with pressed brass rosettes. The back is covered with a hand-chamfered pine board. Approximate size: 15 by 30 inches. Shown with reverse painting of boy with sailboat.
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Ebonized and Gilded Half Column Looking Glass
The frame and reverse glass painting of our recreation are similar to an original found by us in upstate New York. The painted frame has gilded and ebonized half columns. The plinth blocks are adorned with pressed brass rosettes. The reverse painting, though American, depicts a European landscape. The back is covered with a hand chamfered pine board. Approximate size: 14 by 29 inches.
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Gilded Architectural Looking Glass
This frame is an accurate copy of an original in our collection. The pine frame is gilded with gold leaf. Our rope columns are carved rather than turned on a lathe, as were the originals. The cornice is adorned with 13 gilded spheres. The upper glass has a gold etched border and a painting of Columbia offering the chalice of liberty to the new republic, symbolized by the American bald eagle. The back is covered with a hand chamfered pine board. Approximate size (including cornice): 13 by 24 inches.
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Honduran Mahogany and Curly Maple Half Column Architectural Looking Glass
A similar looking glass was illustrated in the 1928 edition: Furniture Treasury, by Wallace Nutting. Many similar frames of this period (late 18th and early 19th centuries) were imported from England. However the curly maple columns indicate this was an American made piece. Our recreation is made from solid pattern grade Honduran mahogany. The turned curly maple columns were French polished while on the lathe. The upper glass gold etching of an American eagle with garland is similar to one documented in Albert Sack’s book, Fine Points of Furniture (Page 212). The back is covered with a hand chamfered pine board. Approximate size: 19 by 30 inches.
View large - Honduran Mahogany and Curly Maple Half Column Architectural Looking Glass
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Short Stenciled Half Column Looking Glass
This frame has the unusual proportions of an original frame found in upstate New York. Its construction reveals similar elements with clock case doors made in the first quarter of the 19th century. The mahogany veneered pine frame has ebonized and bronze powder stenciled half columns. The upper glass has a bronze powder stenciled border and a reverse glass painting of a young girl “on stage.” Approximate size: 15 by 24 inches.
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Ebonized and Gilded Half Column Looking Glass
This frame is similar to our LG200l but is wider. The gilded and ebonized half columns are on a painted frame. The plinth blocks are adorned with pressed brass rosettes. The upper glass has a gold leaf and stippled border. The reverse glass painting is of a young girl strolling down a country lane. Approximate size: 16 by 29 inches.
