Bidspirit auction | Manner John Linnell George III

Manner John Linnell George III Overmantel Mirror - Manner of John Linnell (British, 1729-1796). George III carved giltwood decorative overmantel mirror, ca. 1765. Featuring a ruffled and scrolled palm-frond frame with divided mirrors composed of reused earlier 18th-century glass. Flanked by elaborate, carved scrollwork and foliate motifs, with an arched top rail surmounted by a pierced, wheat-sheaf basket. The form of the overmantel mirror shares prominent design characteristics with drawings and mirrors by cabinetmaker John Linnell. Notably, the basket cresting relates to a mirror in Mrs. Child's dressing room at the Osterly Park Estate in London, ca. 1760-65. Further, the urn dividing the upper plate appears in a drawing of a chimney and overmantle illustrated in Helena Haywood and Pat Kirkham's ”William and John Linnell: Eighteenth Century Furniture Makers, ” 1980, vol. II. Provenance: Christie's, New York, NY, ”Important English Furniture, ” October 14, 2004, Lot 170; The Distinguished Collection of Leo & Doris Hodroff. Height: 52 in x width: 55 in x depth: 3 1/4 in. Condition: Wear throughout commensurate with age and material. There is a complete loss to the floral bouquet once along the toprail. There are several large cracks to the mirror following the contours of the applied gilt wood elements. There are some chips, breaks, and losses to the wood elements. There are glue repairs visible along the left center edge of the mirror. There are areas of crazing, flaking, and some losses to the gilt finish. The central pane appears newer; there are areas of desilvering and tarnishing to the mirrors along the edges. There are boreholes along the verso. Dust and debris gathered along the recessed areas.