A mirror is a reflective surface, usually a sheet of glass backed with a metallic coating, set in a frame for hanging on a wall, standing on a table or floor, or fixed into furniture. In the antiques trade, mirrors are among the most popular decorative items, valued both for their frames and for the character of their old glass.
Early European mirror glass was made by backing glass with an amalgam of tin and mercury, a technique dominated by Venice before French and English makers established their own production in the seventeenth century. Glass was expensive, so early plates are small and frequently pieced together. From the mid-nineteenth century, the safer process of depositing a chemical layer of silver on the glass replaced mercury. Important types include carved and gilded Rococo pier glasses, neoclassical oval mirrors, Regency convex mirrors, overmantel mirrors, cheval glasses and dressing-table mirrors. Old mercury glass has a soft, grey, slightly misty reflection and may show spotting or crystallisation, which many collectors prefer to keep. Buyers should check whether the plate is original, whether the frame has been regilded or repaired, and whether the back is undisturbed. A good mirror brightens any room.
