Antique Gilded Mirror | Openwork Acanthus Carving

• Structurally inspected
• Adjusted and reinforced where necessary
• Treated against wood-boring insects and free of woodworm
• Furniture ready for use

A main wall isn't solved with a small painting. It demands a piece that organizes the room around a focal point.

This antique gold leaf mirror was carved from solid wood in the late 19th century. An oval surrounded by openwork acanthus leaves, four blooming rosettes, and a crest that tops the piece.

The carving is not applied to the frame: it *is* the frame. The leaves separate from the molding, revealing the wall behind, which is the difficult part to carve and the first to break. The gold collects in the hollows and brightens on the ridges, as only happens when gold leaf is applied by hand.

The silvering retains stains and veiled areas. It is the original glass from when the piece left the workshop over a hundred years ago.

Such an openwork frame isn't explained by design: it's explained by the hours of chiseling it requires.

It measures 110 cm high by 75 cm wide. It's a main wall piece: above a console table in a hall, over a sideboard in the living room, or presiding over a dresser in the bedroom. With that format, it doesn't accompany anything. It dictates the wall.

WHAT WE LIKE MOST ABOUT THIS PIECE

→ The openwork leaves. The acanthus is carved hollow, separated from the inner molding, so that the wall is visible between the leaves. This is the most fragile part of such a frame and the one that demands the most hours of chiseling.

→ The silvering. Dark spots and veiled areas, the slow oxidation of the silver beneath the glass. The mirror could be replaced with a new one. We don't do it: that veil is proof of its age and the reason why the reflection is not that of a bathroom mirror.

→ The gold in the hollows. In the rosettes and the crest, the gilding darkens inwards and lightens on the relief. This contrast gives volume to the carving when viewed from across the room.

RESTORED IN OUR WORKSHOP IN NAVALCARNERO, MADRID

We reviewed the entire frame, with particular attention to the openwork leaves: points where the wood had lost cohesion were consolidated, and joints that needed it were reinforced. The piece received treatment against wood-boring insects. The gilding was dry-cleaned, and areas of gold leaf with less adhesion were secured.

It has not been regilded. The wear visible in the photos is original and remains. The structure is firm, the glass is well-seated, and the hanging system has been checked and reinforced for the piece's weight. Ready to be hung where it belongs.

Style: Rococo, Louis XV tradition
Material: Carved solid wood
Technique: Hand-carved openwork and gold leaf gilding
Finish: Original gold leaf, darker in recesses and lighter on relief
Hardware: No decorative hardware. Hanging system reviewed and reinforced
Layout: Wall mirror. Oval mirror plate framed by an openwork acanthus crown with four rosettes, a top cresting, and a bottom cartouche
Dimensions: 75 cm (Width) × 110 cm (Height)
Condition: Good state of preservation. Original gilding with occasional wear and mercury mirror with period patina
Period: Late 19th century

75 cm (Width) × 110 cm (Height)

Free shipping to mainland Spain. Includes indoor delivery with packaging removal.