![]() ![]() ![]() Outside of the use of tin and mercury in Venetian antique mirrors, which causes a mirrors to develop a crystalline appearance as it ages, there are other telltale signs of a mirror’s age. It wasn’t until the invention of silver-backed glass mirrors and subsequent mass production capabilities that the objects started to become a staple in middle class households.Ī Régence Style Carved Giltwood Mirror, 19th Century, sold for $1700 via Bonhams (January 26, 2021) How to Identify an Antique MirrorĪntique mirrors are commonly made of glass coated by silver, gold, or chrome. One of the most distinctive early styles was the Venetian Renaissance mirror, created by coating one side of glass with tin and mercury. With the invention of glass blowing, mirrors also became increasingly popular, though initially reserved for the wealthy. Over time, the proliferation of mirrors coincided with technical developments. Some metal-backed glass mirrors, much like the ones we use now, were first produced around the first to third century AD in ancient Rome. Other ancient civilizations used polished metals to produce the same effect. As far as back as 6,000 BC in Anatolia (modern day Turkey), humans were thought to have created some of the first mirror-like objects by polishing stones to create a flat, reflective surface, most likely out of volcanic obsidian. Conveniently enough, you can consult a just such a professional in appraisal and valuation here at Value My Stuff, so that you can find out more about your antique mirror as soon as you deem necessary.A George II carved giltwood wall mirror, probably Irish, mid-18th century, Est: £10,000 – £15,000 via Sotheby’s London (November 13, 2020)īefore the invention of mirrors, historians believe that people used reflections in pools of water to evaluate appearance. While even the most painstakingly thorough of amateurs are easily prone to error in the process, a trained expert in the field will be able to take their years of experience and knowledge into account in order to find the most accurate estimate as possible. Of course the most essential measure to take in finding the value of your antique mirror is to seek professional appraisal. Related: Learn About Antique Mirrors Mirror Valuations The material of the frame can be telling as well an antique mirror will feature wood, wood veneer, plaster composition, or metal. Hand-forged fasteners will be noticeably less uniform than their machine produced counterparts. Often time, there will be a mark indicating the maker and origin. Antique pieces will have wooden backings instead of paper. There are a variety of ways to ascertain how old your mirror is. As goes with the fragile and delicate nature of their material, it is rare that a mirror will stand the test of time past several decades nonetheless a few centuries Thus an antique item from the Renaissance will without exception be worth a great deal more than even the most expertly produced modern examples. When it comes to mirrors, it is typically the case that older is better. Related: Learn About Antique Mirrors Age & Rarity of a Mirror As technology further developed and improved throughout the following centuries and methods of production consequently grew faster and cheaper, mirrors would become available to increasingly more people today nearly every home across the world has access to these once novel and costly. These objects would become famous across the globe as items of great opulence and luxury, only affordable to the highest echelons of society. ![]() Throughout the next few hundred years, techniques and methods would be experimented upon in order to create increasingly effective and beautiful surfaces. In Italy during the 16th century, the first ever ‘looking glasses’, as they were known, were produced from lead glass using a process of creating flat planes from blown cylinders. While people have used polished surfaces and flat bodies of water as reflective devices for thousands of years, it was not until relatively recently that mirrors as we understand them today came into existence. If one has all the right tools, the journey to finding out the value of your item can be a quick and easy one, of which the results may be pleasantly surprising. Did you inherit an heirloom mirror that you would like to have valued? Are you wondering if the piece you bought at the flea market is worth anything? Perhaps you found an old mirror in your basement you would like to know more about. Today people across the world cannot help but to be intrigued by the allure that antique mirrors possess, and it is a niche of the market that is consistently popular. Inviting the looker to directly acknowledge oneself and examine the reflected image within its framework, these objects have the power to incite contemplation and introspection. ![]()
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