RARE QUEEN ANNE ENGLISH ROLLED PAPER WORK AND JAPANNED MIRROR, EARLY 18TH CENTURY

Walter Loucks, Jr., Bedfordshire, England;
Michael Allen Bose, York, Pennsylvania;
Pook and Pook, Downingtown, Pennsylvania, January 15 and 16, 2010, lot 389;
Jonathan Trace, New York.

Antiques and The Arts Weekly, January 29, 2010, pg. 57.

Please note that this piece underwent conservation in 2010, which involved reattached detached elements and fixing previous restorations. Exquisite detail to the filigree work with a nice array of colors and gilded elements. Some of the paper elements have fallen from their original positions, or have bent or slightly detached. Mirror plate with crystallization and some losses to silvering. Japanned frame with some chips to decoration and rubbing to gilding.
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 art of japanning in England in imitation of oriental lacquer was encouraged in the late seventeenth century by the high cost of original pieces coming from the East and by the publication by Stalker and Parker, A Treatise of Japanning and Varnishing, published in 1688. The art of lacquering was also never mastered in the west due to the complexity of the process and the absence of the principal raw material - the gum of the lac tree (rhus vernicifera). English japanning of the late seventeenth century and early eighteenth centuries  is normally conceived with decoration in tones of gold leaf with some polychrome on a solid coloured ground, the most common of these being black, red, blue, green and white, the rarest of all. 

Rolled paper was a technique developed as early as 15th and 16th centuries in England. Early forms were done with precious metals, usually silver and gold but when this became too expensive papyrus and tree bark were used and later, parchment and paper coloured with gilt edges and decorated with coloured metal threads and beads. The technique was used in fifteenth and sixteenth centuries for decorating the figures of saints and relics but its use diminished after the Reformation. During the second half of the seventeenth century it was revived as a recreation for ladies. Young ladies of wealth were taught this art form as part of their refined skill set which also included needlework, music, and other hobbies. Combined with japanning, another skill taught in schools and covenants, this mirror visibly showcases the multiple talents of its maker. A similar japanned and rolled paper mirror is in the collection of the Victoria & Albert Museum (W.4-1944).