An important George II giltwood dressing mirror circa 1750

Very good quality; beautifully carved; later gilding but appearing to retain some of the original gesso; losses and oxidation to silvering what appears to the original beveled mirror plate; well executed beveling to mirror plate, the upper part of the mirror plate with a glass mounted with a glass bead to secure the plate; rubbing and wear to gilding in places showing gesso.
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.

Toilet mirrors of this form do not appear in England until the second half of the 17^th century, after the Restoration, and were almost certainly introduced from France.  With the establishment of the first English glass-making factory at Vauxhall, the use of toilet mirrors became more prevalent because of the smaller sizes of the plates used were less expensive than those for larger pier mirrors found in large houses.  The most common form of these dressing mirrors in the early 18^th century was introduced from Holland, the framed plate swiveling between uprights and usually mounted on a box containing drawers.  They were put on dressing tables placed in or between windows so that one's face would be illuminated by the light from the windows.  Zoffany's portrait of Queen Charlotte seated at her dressing table (1764) shows a toilet mirror hung with bow-tied drapery.  Ince and Mayhew, Universal System of Household Furniture, 1762, pls. XXXVI-XXXVII, describe this arrangement as a 'Lady's Toilettas' [sic]. 

The style of this extravagant giltwood toilet mirror is suspended between two periods: that of the restrained, symmetrical decoration of the late 1740s and the incipient playful rococo ornamentation that became prevalent in English design of the 1750s, found in the designs of Thomas Johnson and others.  The shaped beveled mirror plate mirror is framed by gadrooning, with a foliate-carved cresting flanked by scrolling acanthus leaves, the apron similarly carved scrolling acanthus and ruffled leaves.  It swivels between uprights that are naturalistically carved in the form of twisting branches and leaves.  The pierced trestle-form base is an outstanding example of rococo design: carved with leaves, twisting and turning in asymmetrical exuberance, the feet are in the form of C-scrolls.  

Cf. a giltwood toilet mirror, sold, Christie's house sale, Wateringbury Place, June 1, 1978, part II, lot 582.