Sold to a private collector
Carved Giltwood Girandole Looking Glass
English, circa 1810-1815
H. 41", W. 26"
Courtesy of Alfred Bullard, Inc.

This is a most unusual example of an English girandole mirror. It has the conventional elements of a convex plate set within an ebonized and reeded slip, surrounded by a cavetto molded circular frame carved with cross hatching and divided by four ring turnings. Below this is a pair of foliated spiraling candle arms from which light would be refracted in the convex surface of the glass.

The rarity of the mirror exists in the carved elements of the crest, where, instead of the more traditional eagle or seahorse, there are four fox hounds beneath leafy bushes. The apron shows the fox hiding amidst rocks under a bower of foliage projecting into sprays of leaves.