Pair of Neoclassical Style Full-Length Brass Psyché Mirrors — French Work, Circa 1970

This rare and highly desirable matched pair of full-length psyché mirrors in polished brass represents an unusual survival: the two pieces are identical in form, dimensions, and patina, clearly made as a pair intended to be used together. Each mirror consists of a tall, gently arched mirror plate mounted on a central tilting pivot between two slender uprights with neoclassical decorative detail — the shafts fluted or rope-twisted in the classical manner — the whole raised on a sturdy four-legged base with stretcher. The polished brass retains its warm golden lustre in both pieces, and both mirrors tilt freely on their pivots. Each piece measures forty-eight centimetres in width and one hundred and forty-eight centimetres in height.

The neoclassical vocabulary in brass was consistently popular throughout the twentieth century for standing mirrors, reflecting the enduring appeal of the Empire and Directoire aesthetic in French domestic design. Made circa 1970, these mirrors draw on that long tradition with particular refinement, translating classical architectural detail — the fluted or twisted column shaft — into the slender proportions of the standing mirror form. What makes this pair exceptional is precisely its completeness: matched pairs of psyché mirrors are rarely preserved together, and their combined decorative possibilities — facing each other across a room, flanking a doorway, positioned at either end of a dressing room — are considerably greater than the sum of their individual parts.

Both mirrors are in very fine condition, the brass warm and polished, the mirror plates clear and undimmed. An exceptional find for those wishing to furnish a large interior, a boutique, or a hotel space with something both functional and distinctively beautiful.