Table mirror – Louis XIV era

This Louis XIV mirror features one of the most famous types of marquetry in French furniture: Boulle marquetry, an ornamentation technique André-Charles Boulle, a cabinetmaker, honed to perfection under the reign of Louis XIV.
A very similar mirror can be seen in an engraving by André-Charles Boule; another one can be found in Portrait de Madame Marsollier et de sa fille (Portrait of Madame Marsollier and her daughter), which Jean-Marc Nattier painted in 1749.

The craftsmanship that went into the creation of the bronzes and in the marquetry work is exceptional. The mirror is mounted on two lion’s paws made in gilded bronze and ending in acanthus leaves. The same leaves curl across the top corners of the mirror. Two masks representing female faces adorn the top and the bottom. Symmetry, order, and precision are the watchword of this mirror.