Illustrated FURNITURE Glossary ..... Thomas Chippendale
Thomas Chippendale fret-carved mirrors
On display at the Fairmount Park Woodford House, Philadelphia
Woodford House Official Home Page
- C. 1750-80.
- Frame with simple inner rounded molding
- Saw-cut fretwork crest and matching apron in complex scroll pattern
- (In similar mirrors, crest may have applied, carved, and gilded central medallion in form of phoenix or eagle [Example]
- Nailed and glued construction.
- Chippendale mirrors of this sort are fairly common. The fretwork varies somewhat from piece to piece: floral in inspiration, though very abstract, it is a simplified version of the Rococo outline popular on French furnishings of a slightly earlier period.
- As with Queen Anne looking glasses, it can be difficult to distinguish between domestic and imported mirrors. Many examples bear the labels of American craftsmen or merchants, but often the labels indicate only where the piece was bought.
- For a similar mirror, see Amherst Humphrey House at Genesee Country Village, & Museum
