11394 – Late 18th Century Irish Chippendale George III Giltwood Mirror

Late 18^th Century Irish Chippendale George III giltwood mirror attributed to Thomas Johnson, c. 1765⁠.

Johnson published the design for this mirror in A Collection of Designs in 1758. The Gothic chinoiserie is exceptionally well designed and carved very much in the style of Thomas Johnson: it is possibly by the master himself⁠. The mirror features surmounted figures of a man and a woman beneath a canopy flanked by twin Ho-Ho birds. The man is the celebrated actor and playwright David Garrick (1717-1779) alongside his wife, Eva Marie Veigel. ⁠The presence of a seated couple and one large and three small dogs is somewhat unusual. The Garricks’ four dogs – three spaniels and a large mastiff, could well be the same dogs that are carved on the mirror.⁠ The compartmented frame enclosing silver plates, is additionally decorated with icicle drops, rockwork and scrolls, a fox raised on a base to centre. The mirror is highly adorned and reflects Johnson’s close relationship with the Garricks.

Price on request.