A fine George II giltwood pier mirror circa 1755-60

Overall good condition; appears to retain much of the original gilding whicih has been very worn showing the red bole and gesso. Appears to retain the original mirror plate with crystallization and pitting and small losses; the gramed robustly carved and with some small chips and losses.
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.

This exquisitely carved mirror with its exuberant rococo carving derives from a number of different designs by leading English rococo carvers such as John Vardy, Matthias Lock and William and John Linnell.  The weight and thickness of the elements of the carving together with the use of conjoined C and S-scrolls suggest a more conservative rococo style which while firmly breaks away from the more rigid Palladian classicism of the previous ten years is not nearly as whimsical as the very leafy designs of Thomas Johnson.  John Vardy’s design for a pier table and mirror, about 1745 makes use of a stylized more naturalistic shell motif in both the cresting and apron of the mirror, a motif which is used in the present mirror.  However, Vardy’s design is still rather rigid compared to the design of the present mirror which is more closely related to a design by Matthias Lock, circa 1760 which also employs a stylized shell in the cresting together with very similar acanthus-carved C-scrolls to the corners of the frame and trailing flowering foliate to the sides. (ibid, no. 63).  The stylized shell is also reminiscent of those on a pair of pier tables and pier mirrors which William Vile and John Cobb supplied to George William, 6th Earl of Coventry for Croome Court, now at Temple Newsam House (illus. G. Beard, 'Decorators and Furniture Makers at Croome Court' Furniture History, 1993, p. 112, figs. 5-6) Lastly, the basket-form cresting, perhaps the most striking ornament of this mirror, is very similar to designs by John Linnell, circa 1755-60 one illustrated in H. Hayward and P. Kirkam, William and John Linnell, New York, 1980, vol. II p. 96, fig 186 and of a design for a pier-glass executed for Sir Monous Cope, 7^th Bt. For Bramshill House, Hampshire circa 1765.