Featured Federal Mirror

I found this Federal Mirror at a thrift store today. I saw a very similar one on the web for crazy money (2nd photo). Pretty much identical in fact down to the rear construction and hanger.

Mine doesn't have the little "X" details at 3 6 9 and 12 o'clock.

It's larger than it appears - about 2' tall

 

well then....go ahead and list it for crazy money too !!!

 

Yours still has the original mirror glass in it, the other glass looks so perfect, it could have been replaced.

 

Pictures of the back construction and close-ups of the moulding, etc... will be needed to give some kind of dating. These round or oval eagle crested gilt mirrors have been reproduced forever and up to yesterday. Just because a mirror is priced high, doesn't mean it will sell for that amount. Authentic Federal **period** (1789-1823), not Federal style, eagle crested mirrors in good condition may sell at a high price. From what I can see in your pic, your mirror looks mass produced?

--- Susan

 

Hi,
When I bought mine it had a cracked mirror and someone painted it with aluminium radiator paint. I removed all the silver paint and 95% of it was still gold leafed. I redid the gilding and replaced the bulls eye mirror with a large truck mirror. Now it looks like it did in 1820.
greg

 

Good work, Greg!

I have a pair of smaller gilded gesso molded eagle crested oval mirrors that were passed down to me. They are more ornate with each topped with a spread eagle and grapes with leaves draped down the sides. The gilding has been redone dozens of times. I'm not sure they date back to the Federal era, but definitely to the mid 1800s. Some day when I get my act together I'll post a query about them in hopes of better dating them.

--- Susan

 

And I have one that was from the FIRST house I remember living in, that has all of DH's marathon medals hanging on it.....I'll do the same.....someday!!!! But I don't think it's any older than 65 or 70 years though.....

 

I'll get some more photos next time I'm at the house. Yes, I think it must have been mass produced, probably a reproduction. I'm on the west coast and I think the likelihood of getting an authentic federal period Mirror out here would be small. It's wood and plaster or gesso under gold leaf. The mirror is held in with round casing nails, which shouldn't have existed at the time, unless someone remounted it, but I am thinking the authentic ones probably would have had a robust bezel sandwich? Mirrors would have been expensive!

Regards,

Matt

 

You might be interested in reading another eagle crested Federal mirror query posted yesterday on the Furniture Forum.

Scroll down and read reply #10 posted by "verybrad."
https://www.antiquers.com/threads/giltwood-federalist-eagle-mirror-era.17639/#post-241521

--- Susan