A Piece of History: Different Types of Antique Mirrors
There are different shapes and sizes of luxury antique mirrors available on the market. In order to be considered antique, the mirror must be at least 100 years old, while in order to be considered vintage the mirror is about 50 to 100 years old. Mirrors first started to be used in the early 17th century, and at first they were quite small in size because they were extremely expensive to manufacture and to purchase. Over the decades, mirrors started becoming available in larger and larger sizes, as well as different shapes. Antique mirrors were usually circular or oval in size.
When shopping around for luxury antique mirrors, you should first decide what it will be used for. For example, you can find everything from small pocket mirrors, up to mounted mirrors, freestanding mirrors or handheld antique mirrors. The style of the mirror should also reflect the decorative style of your home. Some of the oldest mirrors available come from the Gothic period, and mirrors during that era were made with darker wood frames and beautiful carvings. Then, mirrors from the Rococo are adorned with lavish floral carvings, and the mirrors during this era shifted from being oval to being rectangular in shape. Nature inspired motifs with winding style frames and black lacquer can be seen mostly in mirrors coming from the Art Nouveau era. In order to find out which style of antique mirror would better blend with your interior design, you can certainly browse through a few pictures to get an idea.
Federalist style mirrors, also known as “Girandole” mirrors depict the period from 1776 and up to 1806, right after the formation of the United States. These are beautifully crafted mirrors made of quality hardwood and overlaid with bronze guilt or gold-leaf finishes. These amazing “bull’s –eye” mirrors blend in beautifully into any environment, and they certainly can take your entire space to another level. Federalist mirrors were most often available in the homes of the most wealthy and influential people of the time.
Besides their decorative function, the mirrors were also used in order help reflect light better and illuminate the entire room. Typically, two mirrors were placed on each side of the fireplace to achieve this effect.
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