French Art Deco Gilded Wall Mirror
23 Carat Gold
Circa 1920’s, France

 Beautiful hardwood, hand carved frame with elegant French Art Deco
designs in the classic 1925 stylized floral decoration. Original beveled mirror.
Hardwood with several layers of gesso and water gilded with genuine 23 carat gold leaf.

A beautiful mirror to hang in an entry foyer, over a ladies dressing table or in a dining room over a sideboard
(feng shui enthusiasts use mirrors here to reflect the bounty of a beautiful meal served on the dining table).
Use an elegant mirror such as this in a powder room for a touch of personal extravagance.

The gold leaf was painstakingly applied with the old world methods rarely used today.
Please see the detailed description below to learn more about the method used to gild this mirror frame.

Water gilding: This is a more elaborate process requiring greater preparation, but its elegance and
 refinement of finish are unsurpassed. Water gilding is used mainly for picture frames, furniture,
religious artifacts, sculpture, objets d'art and also for the embellishment of stately buildings.
The process essentially consists of applying six to twelve coats of gesso to the substrate to
produce a very fine smooth surface, followed by four to eight coats of bole, a refined clay available in
various colors. The bole is polished to a fine finish (any flaws or grit would ruin the appearance of the gilding),
coated with dilute size and allowed to dry. The surface is then wetted with water and gold leaf is
laid onto it immediately; as the water soaks into the gesso it quickly draws the gold into close
contact with the surface. When dry, any loose fragments of gold leaf are skewed off as in oil gilding
and the surface is given a protective coat of ormolu size to enhance the color and uniformity of the gilding.
Ormolu size is a mixture of weak size and lacquer colored with a little orange-red resin called 'dragon's blood'.

It is common for different elements of a water-gilded piece to be given contrasting finishes to enhance the design. This effect is called 'bright and matt' gilding. The bright passages are usually gilded twice but they are not ormolu sized. Instead they are burnished with a burnisher, a polished rounded stone agate set in a wooden handle, to produce a mirror finish. These areas receive no further treatment as any coating would mar the reflective glitter.

Dimensions: Overall: 30 ¼” wide, 49” high at center, 45” high at ends.
Mirror alone: 22 7/8” wide, 39 3/8” high.

Condition: In excellent condition-The gilded frame has been completely restored ( April 2009) and the mirror is original and in good condition; showing age expected silver loss in speckles. Of course the mirror could be re-silvered to look new again, however we find the aging appropriate to this piece.

Item # FADM136: Price: $ 4,200.

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Additional photos below:

Shown facing a white panel, to show slight age on mirror itself:

   

Backside:

Frame close ups: