This Mirror Had Visitors

As found

Oh, the perils of purchasing something on-line!

This small mirror was inexpensive (yes, you get what you pay for) but the size and look were appealing, particularly since although the mirror plate was likely not original, they followed the convention of beveled edge, separate plates. 

 Upon pickup, the mirror required a bit of examination. Still unclear to me is whether the frame is original, or an adaptation/alteration. There was evidence of insect infestation (although not current). Particular enticing areas were the small blocks holding the mirror plate, which, as was usual, were adhered with an animal glue. Very tempting to insects. In addition, some of the built up gesso suffered the same fate, again, due to the animal glue component. 

Since there is no evidence of fresh or recent frass (a classier name for insect you-know-what) I'm not concerned about continued damage. Treatment will begin with wood consolidant, then rebuilding of the most damaged areas. 

 The surface has an old finish. I'm thinking that a cleaning/waxing will be in keeping. The liner, once repaired will be re-gilded. 

Approximately 39" x 14" Purchase date 8/10/19

Another One Finally Checked on the "To-Do" List

 

These little mirrors are smaller versions of the typical early 19th century "cottage" mirrors with their split balusters, corner blocks and a panel at the top. The antique version would hold a reverse glass painting. These mini versions usually had a print of a "Colonial" scene, and judging by the photos or prints they appear to be from the 1020s or so.

They show up fairly frequently, and I don't know why I bought this one. Probably just felt bad for it. I spruced up the frame and did a reverse glass painting. It now looks more like a period mirror.

This wasn't a particularly difficult or time consuming project, so why was it on the wall of my workshop, staring reproachfully at me for a few years before I finally tackled it? As they say, "the cobbler's children....".

Anyway, another of the pandemic era projects is finally done!

Finished. Approximately 13" high.

In its original state

Adding a Pair to a Full House

While not period antiques, this pair of mirrors is very attractive, and are descendants of the way many frames and mirrors were made in the nineteenth century when the use of composition ornament took over from hand carving.

That means, unfortunately, they suffer from the same inherent faults of using compo as their predecessors: wood and compo expand and contract at different rates, and pieces of the molded ornament can lose their grip and fall off. These mirrors had losses (as well as a previous bad repair). 

The mystery is what happened to these large pieces - I suspect someone has an end table with these pieces in the drawer, and has wondered what they belonged to.

Removing a very bad old repair attempt.

While it looks daunting, this is usually a simple repair.

 Another problem with this style of mirror is that when not on the wall, they need to lie flat as there is no way to lean them on an edge without damaging them. This one suffered a break to one bottom swag, breaking the piece and bending the wire armature out of alignment.

When examining these closely, I noticed how they were not identical, due to the way the ornament was applied. While not attaining perfection, these differences indicate that human beings worked on them.

Someone wasn't careful.

The repairs were fairly straightforward - molding and casting, gilding and toning.

Molding and casting replacement sections.

Currently on the wall for their own protection until a suitable packing case arrangement can be built for safely transporting them. Meanwhile, the previous wall occupants have been exiled to storage.

Finished!

A Little Light Classical

Finished eglomise panel

I accumulate mirrors, sometimes just for the glass panels. Of course, sometimes these were broken, but I have them for my archive and use them to make a copy.

This mirror is one I purchased for the panel (earlier post here),  and after making my copies (another post here), decided I wanted to make the mirror useful again. I had been wanting to do something in a classical vein, with a more refined image, and wanted a mirror with a more delicate frame to match. Aha, I had this one on hand.

Mirror with original broken panel

I found an image in one of the Dover books on classical themed illustration, and used that as the basis for this version.

The procedure is the same as I have described in other blog postings: Gold leaf on the glass, etch, backup areas with black, then apply background paint.

Gold leaf backed u p with paint

Finished project

The Mystery of the Windmill Mirror

As purchased

I purchased this large mirror at auction. Federal style, but I suspect, based on the construction and some other clues, it is from the 1890-1920 period. I have seen other Federal style mirrors made during this period, and the workmanship is usually of high quality, and there is an adherence to the original that can make them difficult to attribute to a specific period. I have seen some, by the Boston firm "Foster Brothers" that are particularly good reproductions. Another, with a Wallace Nutting label, had some of the best reverse glass painting I've seen. I think these "second period" mirrors intrigue me, since at the time, it would not have been difficult to obtain a period piece. Perhaps the fad of "Colonial" during that period made them in demand, and, like today, many people like "antiques" (as long as they are not old).

Back construction indicates late 19th or early 20th century

Nicely done panel

I appreciated the workmanship on this one, in particular the nice eglomise panel with a diapered pattern on the sides, and a central scene of a windmill. Since the price was reasonable (due to damages), I wasn't concerned with the age, and felt that it may have been a replacement. One day, as is my habit, I was looking on-line at houses for sale, and one in the next town had photo showing my mirror in the living room. Since the house was on the next street over from a well known painter of early American decoration, I wondered if she was connected, and/or executed the glass panel.

Damage detail

The damages, while distracting, were not as difficult to fix as they might appear. One leaf ornament was missing, but this was a common composition ornament, and I already had a mold from another mirror project. A quick casting, and it was ready to gesso and gild to match the others.

The colonnettes and their bases had gesso cracking and losses. Since this was systemic failure of the gesso bond, I took off the gesso and re-applied new gesso. They were then water gilded. As usual, I want my antique mirrors and frames to show wear (which will be more pronounced on the delicate water gilt areas than on the oil gilded sections).

When I get a space to leave this out, I might disassemble the backing and see if there is more information or clues. But for now, with repairs done, it will get packed away out of harm's way.

Finished!

The Eagle has (Finally) Landed

Finished!

This mirror was purchased a few years back, and due to its size and weight, and difficulty in handling, it was worked on in fits and starts.

My guess is that this is 1930s vintage. These late mirrors are usually weak and not substantial, but this one was heavy and bold looking, approximately 36" high, 28" wide. Unlike traditional wood/gesso, the eagle and perch are solidly cast.

When it arrived it had breaks and a few losses to the side garlands, some missing spherules, and was of course, covered in "radiator paint", which was likely its original finish.

The remaining spherules were metal with a brass finish, and had badly tarnished,  so I knew I would be making replacements.

How it arrived

Gummy green bronze paint - Yum!

The first steps were to strip the finish and take care of breaks and missing pieces. It began to look better to me with the finish stripped. I was debating whether to gild, or perhaps paint it white or gray. I had leeway since it wasn't a period mirror.

Once stripped, repairs can begin.

Gesso day (note new spherules)

I liked it so much in white gesso, I was tempted to leave it that way.

Once I had a coat or two of gesso on it, I decided to gild at least parts of it. Then as I went along, I decided it would be totally gilt, and finished to look older than it is.

Wherever this winds up, there had better be some substantial anchors in the wall. 

Small Federal Mirror with Eglomise Panel

 I love these small mirrors (probably because you can fit more of them on your walls). Once again, the panel was broken and there were some touch-ups needed to the gilding. But the gilding was 95% original, the original glass was there for a pattern.

If you have followed this blog, you have seen the process for etched gold leaf under glass (eglomise).

As found

Original cracked and peeling panel

Some of these mirror panels are quite sophisticated and skillfully done; others, such as this one, are far more casual, and were probably the products of production-minded artisans. In these cases, you need to do the replacement with the same feeling  - quickly, freely and without fussing.

Scan of original to use for pattern

New and the original

Some gilding required

The original mirror silvering had completely disintegrated, so a piece of replacement mirror was used. Only the critical areas of the frame received re-gilding; other spots were colored with gouache to make them less distracting. The final result is a mirror that wears its age gracefully.

Finished!

Big Sale in Wiscasset

The house on Fort Hill Street in Wiscasset, Maine has been used as an antique shop, my workshop/studio, and for the past few years, the "last resort storage depot" for anything we didn't have room for at home. On the first floor there is one large double room that eventually became so filled with furniture, mirrors, boxes etc. that it was impassable. The other first floor rooms were not much better.

Stuff

More stuff

Still more stuff

So, with the prospect of opening an antique shop looking less likely with each passing year, I made a resolution to clean out some of the stuff. This also meant cleaning a room that had not had a good going-over in several years. Many things I just did not need or want, some I was undecided about and felt that offering them for sale would take care of the decision-making, and many things were just fine, but not having an outlet meant they would just sit there.

As I put in the ad:

"We haven’t been open, so it’s not a closing sale. We haven’t died, so it’s not an estate sale. And we may not get around to making tags, so it’s not a tag sale. But we haven’t had the shop open for a few years, stuff is piling up, and it’s time for a dispersal sale."

The sale went very well. It was nice to have old friends and customers stop by, new customers show up, and to have the premises looking presentable once again. And we have another batch of memories.

So, what's next with the Wiscasset location? I have a few ideas for next season.....

Big, Bold and Beautiful

Finally done

This is one of my favorite styles of mirror - nothing subtle about this, and you can imagine this on the wall in a large Greek Revival house.

I purchased this several years ago, and due to the size (26" wide, 46" high), it was immediately disassembled and placed in storage. As my workshop seems to be shrinking, when I finally had some space during the past year it came out of hiding for its makeover.

Little concern is given to eventual repair or dis-assembly when things are made, so dismantling was a bit of a challenge.

Since these massive corner ornaments projected out from the frame they were quite susceptible to damage, particularly when the mirror must have left the wall and was placed on the floor.

Corners suffered

Most of original leaf detail was gone

 As usual, molds were taken from surviving elements in order to cast replacements. The leave ornaments were gessoed, then water-gilded.

Replacements

With leaf and "turrets" corners are very three dimensional

When putting mirrors back together, I try to use screws instead of nails, just in case it needs to be taken apart again.

Back in place

Once the lion's share of work was done, it was occupying a corner of the workshop awaiting final re-assembly. That last step was this week's accomplishment.

There was only a small piece of the original backboard available, I used a piece of birch plywood to create a new backboard. While the originals functioned as dust covers and protection for glass, plywood replacements also offer additional structural support.

Installing mirror plates

Crossing the Finish Line with Two More Projects

The overmantel mirror is now completed and installed, and the Salem mirror panel safe in Florida.

Once all the gesso repairs to the overmantel were done (as shown in Part I), coloring, gilding and toning began.

The bottom right section of "ebony" base was missing, so a new piece was made to fit.

Base replacement in progress

By securing a new backboard covering almost the entire back, I was able to pull the frame together, and the separations between the dividers and bottom rail are almost gone. This also allowed installation of an aluminum cleat system that will not only support the weight (and due to the plate glass mirror, this is heavy!), but will also keep it from shifting on the wall.

I helped the clients install this. A piece of plywood was mounted to the wall, since it was not a wall built with standard stud spacing, and had lathe/plaster that would have made it difficult to mount directly. The bottom sections of the interlocking cleat pairs were mounted on this board, then the mirror was dropped into place. Since this was a job requiring all hands on deck, no photos of this process.

In the end, all worked out well, the mirror seems secure (and if it ever falls, we'll blame it on the cat).

Installed (disregard the ghost in the mirror)

 

The Salem mirror project also reached completion. This required sending the finished glass panel to Florida, packed in a way that kept it secure, but with no pressure or material in contact with the painted surface on the back of the glass (concern about abrasion and humidity led to this decision). The customer was able to install the glass successfully, and kindly sent me a picture of the completed mirror.

 

As hanging now in client's home