Rare William and Mary Blue Lacquered or Japanned Pier Mirror

Made prior to the turn of the first quarter of the 18th century, this fine pier mirror, designed to sit on piers between large windows in a grand house of the period, retains its original cresting-something that is often missing on examples of this age. The mirrored surface is comprised of two separate bevelled plates. The mirror is japanned, in other words decorated in imitation of oriental lacquer in an English workshop, on a blue ground. Blue is one of the rarer colours encountered in English japanned work with black and then red being the most commonly encountered grounds used. The quality of English japanned work varies dramatically with the cheapest examples essentially no different from painted work with no depth to the applied designs on the frames. Our example is of excellent quality with areas of the decoration in medium and high relief, just as on a lacquered example. This sort of finish required the application of multiple coats of varnish and paint that were then sanded back to create the desired effect.

It is well known that there was a thriving market for English japanned furniture in continental Europe, Giles Grendey’s commissions in both Spain and now Scandinavia receiving a large amount of scholarly attention later in the 18th century. The prominent shell in the centre of the cresting on our piece might suggest a Spanish provenance for this piece as well. The symbol is associated with St James and the Santiago de Compostela in Galicia where his remains are said to be kept. Shells of a similar form appear on pieces attributed to the great London maker John Belchier, free of his apprenticeship in 1707, and it is possible that this piece is an early example of his fine workmanship. A pair of similarly-shaped walnut veneered mirrors were supplied to Erddig, one of Belchier’s most important commissions, in 1720 and may be seen online here: https://www.nationaltrustcollections.org.uk/object/1147299.1

A closely related japanned mirror appears in Christopher Claxton Stevens’ 18th Century English Furniture: The Norman Adams Collection p. 412 and is illustrated below. There was also a pair of mirrors of related form in the famous Percival Griffiths collection, illustrated in R. W. Symonds, English Furniture from Charles II to George II, p. 284, fig. 227.

The decorative devices employed on the present mirror consist of floral specimens, birds, exotic animals and human figures-an unusually complete overview of the decorative motifs associated with chinoiserie in the European mind. These motifs are contained within strapwork borders and with panels which imitate gilt metal mounts and the use of carved detailing at the apex of the mirror is a rare feature on a japanned piece, making this particularly noteworthy.

A fine example of an English mirror that can be associated with one of the major London workshops of the time.