Square Green Resin Mirror with Circular Plate — French Work, Circa 1970

This charming small mirror exemplifies the experimental approach to decorative materials that characterised French design in the 1970s. The square outer frame, cast in a rich dark green resin, holds at its centre a perfectly circular mirror plate — a composition that plays with the classic French decorative language of contrasting geometric forms, here translated into the new synthetic materials of the post-war era.

The resin frame has an exceptionally rich surface texture: fine striations radiate outward from the circular aperture, creating a dynamic pattern suggestive of a sunburst or the cross-section of a natural material. The deep, organic green colour — with subtle variations in tone — gives the frame a quality that lies between the mineral and the vegetal, bringing a note of natural warmth to what is otherwise a strikingly modern composition.

Measuring 25.5 centimetres square with a depth of only 1.5 centimetres, this is an intimate piece suited to a dressing table, a bathroom wall, a desk, or as part of a composed arrangement of small decorative objects. Its modest scale belies the quality of its manufacture and the strength of its visual impact.

Resin design objects from the 1970s have enjoyed a strong revival of collector interest in recent years, and pieces combining distinctive material qualities with a clean formal vocabulary — as this mirror does — are among the most sought-after. This example, in fine condition with its resin intact and the mirror plate clear, is a pleasing representative of the genre.