18th Century Cherry Fragment Mirror
Carved from a single plank, gorgeous patina both front and back, buttery smooth surfaces along handled edges, tool markings evident both sides, whittled chamfered edges, retaining worn original chrome yellow paint, original silvered mirror plate (finely crazed silvering deterioration visible under raking light, striated silvering loss evident under "normal" lighting). A few ancient inactive insect holes, tight early shrinkage fissure (visible backside & bottom edge front), of no consequence, but mentioned for descriptive accuracy. Obviously a homemade "make do", it's form is nonetheless stunningly bold. Never have I seen another fragment looking glass in a vibrant color (black, red and brown just seem to have been almost exclusively dominant, among survivors). This is a "10"! From a Midwestern physician's lifetime collection, who selectively bought from the likes of the Sack's, John Walton, Mary Allis, Lillian Cogan. Size 13-1/2" H x 8-1/2" W x 5/8" D. | 
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In case you haven't already noticed, my thermostat is high on this piece. It is what Folk Art is all about. The ability to take a utilitarian object, capture it's "essence" - which is it's life, to freeze it in time and then release it when someone looks at it hundreds of years later.
Simple? Functional? Made out of necessity? Most certainly! Made with Love? Most definitely. It invites one step through the looking glass into another world, another place, another time when this fragment of broken mirror became once again a treasured possession. It's a true survivor and the mere fact that it's still here to speak to us testifies to this. |  | 
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$7800.00
R25A100530 Questions? Ask the Ferret!
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