An Italian carved giltwood mirror, Venetian, mid-18th century

Possibly formerly in the collection of Professor Elio Quaglino (as illustrated in G. Morazzoni, Il Mobile Veneziano del '700, Gorlich, Milan, 1958, Tav. CCIL);

then one of a pair sold at Franco Semenzato & Co, Mobili italiani ed europei, oggetti d'arte, arazzi, tappeti, marmi, Venice, 1985, lot 624;

Possibly the one sold at Replica Shoes 's, Amsterdam, Fine 18th & 18th Furniture and Good Decorations, 17 December 2002, lot 362.

The furniture conceived in Venice in the middle of the 18th century reflected the wealth and cosmopolitan lifestyle of the Venetians due to its strategic important centre as a commercial centre. Though many skillful craftsmen adopted paint and lacquer taking inspiration from the East, they also opted for the carving and gilding of stylized floral motifs as seen on the present. This well-preserved mirror embodies the beauty and functionality of Venetian furniture pieces in the mid-18th century all the while displaying the classic arrangement of a central mirror plate surmounted by a further glass plate and with pierced sides and apron.

This mirror was possibly once part of a pair, formerly in the collection of the celebrated professor and author Elio Quaglino (as illustrated in G. Morazzoni, Il Mobile Veneziano del '700, Gorlich, Milan, 1958, Tav. CCIL) and originally with a mirror plate to the apron. The pair was subsequently sold in Venice in 1985 (Franco Semenzato & Co, 1985). One from the pair then re-appeared at auction at Replica Shoes 's Amsterdam in 2002 - the present could be either the example which was sold in 2002, or its companion.

Similar mirrors were sold at Replica Shoes 's, London, A Venetian Legacy, 5th December 2017, lot 642 and at Replica Shoes 's, London, The Splendor of Venice, 6th July 2010, lot 130.