A large German Rococo carved and silvered mirror mid-18th century

Bernard Steinitz, Paris

Resilvered, silvering now with losses, wear, and rubbing. Carving with some restored breaks, losses, and small chips. Gesso with some chips and losses. Mirror plates replaced, now with some losses to silvering. Some mirror plates with cracks and some minor 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.

The allure of silver furniture dates back to antiquity, yet it was most popular in royal and princely courts of Europe throughout the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Louis XIV's Versailles was famous for its silver furnishings, which were melted down soon after they had been created to replenish the state treasury. A less costly alternative to silver or silver-mounted furniture was silvered and silver-painted furniture, which was particularly popular in the Italian and German states in the 1700s. Some of the most dazzling Rococo spaces at the time were created in Germany, where silvered furniture was enhanced with large mirrors and silver-gilt stuccowork. Both domestic and ecclesiastical interiors were decorated with silver gilding, with the most important and notable example being the halls of Amalienburg pavilion at Schloss Nymphenburg in Munich. In such interiors, console tables and mirrors were often conceived en suite wit the mirrors reaching the ceiling. With their large size and impressive proportions, the two mirrors offered here must have been conceived as part of such an arrangement. Some of the most important draughtsmen active in Germany executed designs for these lavish console-mirror combinations, including François de Cuvilliés, Johann Michael Hoppenhaupt II and Johann Peter Wagner. Certain characteristics, such as the curved feet of both tables or the feature carving of lot 792 that is related to the oeuvre of Ferdinand Tietz, point to South Germany as a place of manufacture. Lot 794 closely follows French prototypes and is most likely to have been executed in Ansbach, where Parisian influence was particularly strong.