A Venetian mirror is a mirror made in Venice, or in the Venetian style, in which the frame itself is made of glass, typically with engraved, etched or bevelled border panels and applied decoration in clear or coloured glass. Such mirrors are associated above all with the glassmakers of the island of Murano.
Venice dominated European mirror production during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, and the secrets of its glassmakers were jealously guarded until French and English factories developed their own plate glass. Elaborate Venetian-style mirrors became widely popular again in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, when workshops produced frames with cut and engraved floral borders, crests, scrolls and applied glass flowers, leaves and rosettes. These mirrors were exported in large numbers and remain a favourite of interior designers for their sparkle and decorative effect. Collectors distinguish earlier hand-made examples with mercury or early silvering, hand engraving and slight irregularities from later, more mechanical production. Condition is important, since chips to the delicate glass frame, missing ornaments and deterioration of the silvering are common. Venetian mirrors suit bedrooms, dressing rooms, halls and glamorous reception rooms.
