A MOST UNUSUAL, FINELY CARVED AND NATURALISTICALLY PAINTED MIRROR

11724 A MOST UNUSUAL, FINELY CARVED AND NATURALISTICALLY PAINTED MIRROR IN THE FORM OF A CLASSICAL RUIN BY JOHANN GROSSMANN Interlaken, Switzerland. Nineteenth Century. Measurements: Height: 28” (71.1 cm) Width: 21” (53.3 cm) Depth: 4 ¼” (10.7 cm).

Research
Of carved and polychrome painted wood. The replaced rectangular mirror plate surrounded by a carved frame in the form of classical ruins with frieze and architrave supported on either side by Corinthian columns, and raised on a breakfront plinth base. Two palm trees stand on the left, with vines and vegetation applied throughout.

Marks:
Stamped to the top:
J. GROSSMANN
Incised XI on reverse

This mirror belongs to a group of related pieces by the Swiss master sculptor Johann Grossmann, who established his manufactory in 1831 in Interlaken near Bern, Switzerland. The region, which also included the villages of Ringgenberg and Brienz, was home to a “long, well-cultivated tradition and its outstanding, well-known wood carvers.” The design of the present mirror, constructed to resemble a classical architectural ruin, is inspired by ancient sites discovered and excavated in the eighteenth century, including the ruins of Palmyra, Syria, and the Forum in Rome.

Full research report available on request.