Historicist Oak Mirror with Enamelled Roundels of Noble Figures (c.1880)

A Historicist mirror with hand-painted enamelled roundels set in lead and stained glass, depicting 17th-century noblemen and ladies within a later oak frame.

This Historicist mirror was produced around 1880, set within a later oak frame enclosing earlier hand-painted discs mounted in lead and enamelled stained glass. Each circular roundel depicts a noble figure of the seventeenth century, rendered in miniature enamel with distinctive costumes referencing Cavalier and courtly portraiture of the Stuart period.

The male figures wear doublets, lace or ruff collars, and plumed hats, while the female figures are shown in elaborate headdresses and gowns typical of the 1620s–1640s. Each roundel bears a date, such as 1620 or 1640, not as a record of manufacture but as a reference to the historical attire and aesthetic being evoked. The iconography thus situates the work within the nineteenth-century revival of early modern decorative taste, reflecting the broader Historicist fascination with past forms and heraldic display.

The stained glass inserts are framed by an oak surround of later manufacture, likely adapted to preserve the integrity of the original painted glasswork. This reuse of earlier components was a known practice among Victorian craftsmen seeking to harmonise old and new elements in a single decorative ensemble.

Measurements available on request.