Green Skies, Smiling at Me!

While demonstrating eglomise work during the Grafton Historical Society's Antique Show on June 15, I began my version of the broken original glass shown in this earlier blog entry. This is an interesting glass in that it appears as if the original craftsperson worked from three individual designs and just arranged them in a row. The green color was interesting; I don't know if it was originally blue and had changed over the years, but I elected to use it in my version, as it was what drew me to the original in the first place.

I adjusted the composition a bit, as the mirror my version went into had less height available for the panel, and I actually think it looks less awkward than it does in the original size.

 

Joseph's version of the original

As installed in a mirror frame

A crude eglomise mirror panel

This type of mirror shows up fairly often, and is one of the styles that are not particularly popular, but that I would like to know more about. It is common to find them with either this type of crude eglomise panel, or with the "dotted line" outlined paintings, but not usually with something sophisticated. Some people refer to these cruder eglomise works as "gilder's glasses, where the line etching is not well done.

For this one, it looks as if the craftsperson found three separate images of buildings, and used them to fill the space. These motifs of cottages and castle towers show up frequently in mirror panels, and probably had their origins in prints of the period (they do resemble some of the images seen on Staffordshire dinnerwares of the period).

I will be using this design for a replacement panel in a related mirror. I may also replace this damaged one, but am reluctant to do so since it is not particularly attractive in its current proportions.

An interesting Federal (maybe) mirror

 

You don't usually see many of these mirrors with the spherules set in the side columns. Whether they just weren't popular (or proved too annoying to dust and were discarded), they seem to account for only about one percent of the mirrors I see. So, it was a bit surprising that I came upon two of them at an antique show last week, and then found this one in a group shop on Cape Cod.


I haven't fully dismantled and explored it, but I question the age of it, in spite of the fact that it does have some old repairs. Perhaps I will be able to determine if it is of period, with signs of age obscured due to the restorations, or, as I suspect, the product of some early 20th century manufacture.

The reverse painted panel is definitely not of the Federal period, but I don't know if was a replacement for an earlier one, or one created at the time of this mirror. It has a certain charm, but looks a bit "cottagey" for this formal style of mirror.

My plans are to do a couple minor touch-ups, and create a more appropriate eglomise panel.

Huguenot Street in New Paltz, New York

 

 

 

During our recent trip to Albany, we visited some sights on the west side of the Hudson River. Having seen stories about New Paltz in old issues of Antiques Magazine, we took advantage of the unexpectedly beautiful spring weather to sightsee. Although the buildings and visitor center were not open yet for the season, we did have a chance to walk the historic district and take photos.



 

 

According to the Historic Huguenot Street website: Seeking freedom from persecution by Catholic authorities, the "New Paltz Huguenots" sailed to America in the 1660s and 1670s. They travelled to present-day Kingston and founded New Paltz.

 

Today, the 10-acre National Historic Landmark District includes a visitor center, seven stone house museums, a reconstructed 1717 French church, and an early burial ground.

 

 

Making Progress

And the saga of the unfinished projects continues. This dressing table was purchased years ago, languished in garage/Wiscasset house waiting to be worked on. The paint was stripped last summer, and now that I have an inkling of what to do, I put base coats on. Getting this far usually motivates me, so it should move along.

Another Panel for an Antique Mirror

I found a great mirror frame in original finish. It had stenciling on the divider, and striping on the balusters, something I rarely, if ever had seen before. Unfortunately, it came with an inappropriate replacement panel that was an attempt at simulating eglomise, and was probably inspired by a clock tablet, rather than a mirror panel.

Not having the original, I turned to my collection of patterns and originals, and found an original I picked up at an HSEAD member's estate sale. I made two versions, both adaptations - one with a yellow background closer to the original, and one with red, and chose the one with red background to the stenciling for this mirror.

Using Gesso with Reverse Glass

I had been meaning to try the use of gesso as a background for eglomise (gold leaf on glass) after someone asked me about it, and I read about it in Frances Federer's new book. Someone asked me about replicating a panel from an old mirror, and although I turned down the job, I had already prepped the design, and so I used it for a demonstration at an artist guild meeting. After finishing, I finished the back with gesso, rather than white paint. So, now I have a sample to keep on hand, and monitor to see if there are any longer term issues.