A GEORGE III CARTON-PIERRE OVAL WALL MIRROR

This mirror is possibly inspired by the designs of John Linnell (1729-96), in particular, a workshop drawing of a closely related mirror, dated 1774, inscribed 'Mr Mount' (see: H. Hayward, P. Hayward, William and John Linnell: Eighteenth Century London Furniture Makers, London, 1980, vol. II, p. 102, fig. 196).
Carton-pierre, similarly to papier mâché, was developed in the 18th century to imitate wood and stone. Various compositions of paper pulp were cast in oiled box-wood moulds and lightly stove-dried (baked). Manufacturers’ recipes were jealously guarded, but analyses prove that the pulp was frequently mixed with flour, chalk, sawdust, sand and plaster and bound with wax, resin, animal glues or gum arabic. Papier mâché was often made from paper stripped from billboards while carton-pierre derived from waste cardboard, and its ‘composition’ material comprised a greater ratio of plaster to paper.