Wednesday, December 15, 2010
This mirror is an extremely rare example of a piece inspired by Western design but made in the Ottoman Empire, probably Istanbul. (Don’t be mislead by the photo–what looks like it might be an average-sized mirror is actually 7 feet tall!)
Its crest bears the Khedival crown and arms of Muhammad Ali Pasha al-Mas’ud ibn Agha (March 4, 1769 – August 2, 1849), who is regarded as the founder of modern Egypt, due to the extensive reforms in the military, economic and cultural spheres, which he carried out from the early 19th century onwards.
Read more... (328 words, 4 images, estimated 1:19 mins reading time)
The highly accomplished carved giltwood frame of this important overmantel, dating from the early years of the eighteenth century, is almost certainly the work of Thomas and René Pelletier.
Thomas and René, together with their father Jean, practiced as carvers, gilders and engravers. The family came from Paris and settled in London during the 1680s after a brief period spent working in Amsterdam. Between 1699 and 1702 they received commissions to produce over six hundred pounds worth of giltwood furniture for William III’s State Apartments at Hampton Court, proof of the high regard in which the Pelletiers were held. Thomas Pelletier took over the management of the family business in 1702, and the present mirror probably dates from this period of the firm’s output. Read more... (491 words, 4 images, estimated 1:58 mins reading time)
This is a preview of The Pelletier Brothers: A ‘Verre-y’ Important Mirror
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Read the full post (491 words, 4 images, estimated 1:58 mins reading time)
