Swedish Mirrors at Cupboards and Roses

Mirrors have been used since ancient times, first in the form of slightly convex discs of metal with a highly polished surface.  The Celts adopted these Roman hand mirrors, and small mirrors of this type were quite common throughout Europe by the end of the Middle Ages.  The European use of glass with a metallic backing dates from the late 12th century.  These early mirrors were small and extremely expensive, but by 1650, production had spread, and prices for smaller mirrors had fallen.

At this time, the Swedish government offered incentives to encourage skilled craftsmen to settle in its urban areas, and soon German mirror glass makers were working in Stockholm.  They brought with them the German baroque style, making mirrors with carved frames of rectangular, square or octagonal shape, generally with a single pane of mirror glass.  Until about 1835, mirror glass was manufactured by attaching a thin hammered tin foil to a pane of glass with mercury that took up to a month to bond and dry.  Mirrors and sconces from this time often had two panes, one above the other, most likely because larger pieces of mirror glass were taxed at a higher rate.

For the next 100 years, most looking glasses were owned by the nobility and wealthy burghers in the cities; a pair of large mirrors might well cost as much as a carriage and fittings.  During this period, it was not unusual to curtain mirrors with elegant fabric.  (Covering a mirror at the time of a death was an old folk tradition, based on the belief that a mirror could capture the vital force of the person reflected, chaining the deceased person to the death chamber.)

By the middle of the 18th century, increasingly wealthy members of the clergy and prosperous farmers were also acquiring mirrors.  At the same time, the more formal baroque style gave way to the Swedish rococo, and asymmetrical frames were carved with shells and arabesques and probably gilded.

As Sweden entered the Gustavian period, mirror glass became easier to produce and looking glasses, especially in small sizes, were much more common.  In keeping with the Gustavian love of the neoclassical, they were richly carved, often with palmettes, laurel wreaths, and acanthus leaves, and featured tied rope or ribbon crests, or sometimes a lyre at top.

By 1810, the Gustavian style was sliding into the Empire, and mirror decoration reflected the new interest in things Roman and Egyptian.  Looking glass frames featured architectonic shapes and applied decoration in the form of griffons, sphinxes, lions, Napoleonic bees, or torches.  Tops were often semicircular in shape or designed as gabled pediments.  Bottom edges were usually straight to enable the mirror to sit on a table, and gilded columns or half-columns adorned the sides.

By the 1850s, mirrors were common even humble households.  Provincial examples begin to appear with frames formed of decoupage glued directly to the mirror glass or with reverse painted glass simulating marble and attached in the same way.  In grander homes, giant pier glasses sat on low console tables.  Frames were veneered or formed of gilded gesso over wood.  The rococo revival recycled some of the forms of the 1760s but without the lightness and charm of the original.

At Cupboards and Roses Antiques, we offer a selection of Swedish mirrors from the Baroque to the Empire periods.  Our mirrors have retained their original mirror glass and wooden backs and are often signed by the maker.