A PAIR OF GEORGE II GREY-PAINTED MIRRORS

Conceived in the manner of Matthias Lock (d. 1765), in the 1740s rococo idiom of this master carver and ornamentalist, and comprising C scrolls, acanthus, rocaille and the scallop shell badge emblematic of Venus, this pair of impressive grey-painted mirrors is related to a design published in Lock’s pattern book, Six Sconces (1744), plate 2. Their form suggests that in the 18th century they were intended to be hung on pier walls whereby they reflected the maximum amount of candle light around a room. A set of such mirrors, albeit later (circa 1765) and giltwood are at Petworth House, West Sussex.