Looking glass

Published/Created:

United States
England, United Kingdom
ca. 1750–1780

Physical Description:

54 x 28 1/2 in.

Materials:

Mirror glass; walnut; gilding

Notes:

Sack catalogue description: Chippendale walnut Martha Washington mirror with original carved and gilded eagle ornament and side leaves, the finely sculptured eagle is perched on a scrolled volute flanked by a broken arch pediment with floral-carved terminal pendants, the scrollboard with gilt cartouche tracery; original beveled mirror glass, descended in the Sweet family. American or English.
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Bibliography: Book: American Antiques from Israel Sack Collection, 10 vols. (Washington, D.C.: Highland House Publishers, 1957–1990), vol. 4, p. 1015, pl. P3891.
YUAG catalogue note: The term "Martha Washington mirror" is synonymous with "Constitution mirror," modern terminology used to describe a specific form of high-style Chippendale mirror made from approximately 1720 to 1820; these mirrors, mostly of English manufacture in mahogany or mahogany veneer, usually have gilded swan-neck pediments with a central ornamental finial, typically in the form of a bird with wings extended. The lower portion of Constitution mirrors all have generous shaped mahogany aprons with prominent scrolled ears in the lower corners. These mirrors are typically large, at 54 to 68 inches in overall height. The origin of the name "Constitution mirror" probably relates to such looking glasses being formally used for prestigious houses and public spaces, possibly in the homes of prominent founders of the Revolutionary era.

Variant Titles:

Chippendale walnut Martha Washington mirror

Topics:

Decoration and ornament--Queen Anne style
Furniture--United States

Period/Style:

Queen Anne

Culture:

American or English

Accession Number:

3891

Genre:

looking glasses (AAT)
mirrors (AAT)

Format:

Image
Physical Object

Content Type:

Furnishings & Decorative Arts
Prints & Photographs

Rights:

The use of this image may be subject to the copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) or to site license or other rights management terms and conditions. The person using the image is liable for any infringement

Access Restrictions:

Public

Source Title:

Israel Sack, Inc., Archive

Source Created:

New York, New York, United States
1957–1990

Source Note:

Sack, October 1973
The information below is taken from the Israel Sack Furniture Archive and may not reflect current scholarship

Folder:

Folder 10319 cab1dr4 tiff

Yale Collection:

Yale University Art Gallery

Digital Collection:

Israel Sack Furniture Archive

OID:

10968582

PID:

digcoll:845120