Repoussé Copper Mirror with Parecloses, Floral Garlands and Sun King Effigy — Napoleon III, Circa 1880

Among the most spectacular pieces in the current collection, this imposing octagonal mirror represents the heights of French decorative metalwork under the Second Empire. Created circa 1880 during the reign of Napoleon III and executed in the grand manner of Louis XIV, it combines three of the great decorative arts specialities of the period: repoussé copper work, the bevelled glass parecloses tradition, and the symbolic iconography of the French monarchy.

The frame, worked entirely in repoussé copper, is a tour de force of the metalsmith's craft. Every surface is animated by a profusion of hand-hammered relief ornament: garlands of flowers and foliage loop and swag around the entire perimeter, interspersed with rosettes, scrolling acanthus leaves, and smaller decorative motifs. The composition achieves a remarkable density of ornament without sacrificing legibility — a testament to the skill of the artisan who conceived and executed this work.

At the summit of the frame, a crowned effigy of Louis XIV — the Sun King — presides over the composition as crest and finial. This direct reference to the most celebrated of French monarchs, whose name became synonymous with the grandeur of Versailles and the golden age of French decorative arts, situates the mirror within the tradition of royal representation that the Napoléon III court was eager to invoke. The octagonal central mirror plate, surrounded by eight bevelled parecloses in the angled recesses of the frame, echoes the canonical form of the great Baroque mirrors produced at Saint-Gobain during Louis XIV's own reign.

At 52 centimetres in width and 96 centimetres in height, this mirror has a substantial physical presence, suited to a salon, a library, or a formal dining room. In fine condition considering its age, with the repoussé relief well-preserved and the copper patina giving the whole a rich, dark warmth.