AN EXTREMELY RARE WILLIAM AND MARY FIGURED WALNUT LOOKING GLASS WITH PIERCED CRESTING, CIRCA 1690 |

appears to retain its original surface and original beveled glass.

Mrs. Henry Hammond Taylor, Connecticut;
John C. R. Tompkins Antiques, Millbrook, New York, July 1970;
Vogel Collection no. 83.

Losses to the veneer on the frame, visible in catalogue photo. There is a 1 in. x 1 in. loss to the veneer on the crest and there is a 2 in. x 1 in. loss to the proper left side of the crest, just above the junction with the frame. Scattered typical age cracks. Plate with foxing and losses to silvering.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The elaborately carved and pierced acanthus on the cresting is a three-dimensional incarnation of the arabesque or 'seaweed' marquetry inlay on case furniture and mirror frames of the period, following Dutch examples influenced by the engravings of the Huguenot architect and designer Daniel Marot (1661-1752) and the work of the Low Countries-born royal cabinetmaker Gerrit Jensen (active 1680 - d.1715).  It is very similar to the cresting on a japanned mirror in Hampton Court, Leominster, Herefordshire, illustrated in P. Macquoid and R. Edwards, The Dictionary of English Furniture (Woodbridge 1983), Vol. II, p.318 fig.20.  Further mirrors in floral or seaweed marquetry with related cresting, including one from the Percival D. Griffiths collection, are illustrated in R. Symonds, English Furniture from Charles II to George II (London 1929, p.54 fig. 40) and Graham Child, World Mirrors (London 1990), fig. and plate 19.