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Looking glass, ca. 1775
American
Pine; 48 x 26 in. (121.9 x 66 cm)
Purchase, Friends of the American Wing Fund, and Max. H. Gluck Foundation Inc. Gift, in honor of Virginia and Leonard Marx, 1990 (1990.18)

This looking glass with frame in the full Rococo style is one of the rarest of American furniture forms. The frame is carved out of white pine, a favorite material for American carvers. It was painted white (the original finish survives in nearly perfect condition), and would probably have been mounted on a brightly colored wall where it would have given the effect of having been fashioned free-hand out of plaster. This style was fashionable among Philadelphia's wealthy merchant class in the 1760s and 1770s and derives from London work of the mid-century. The frame bears the printed label of John Elliot, a retailer of looking glasses.


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  • Looking glass, ca. 1775
    American
    Pine; 48 x 26 in. (121.9 x 66 cm)
    Purchase, Friends of the American Wing Fund, and Max. H. Gluck Foundation Inc. Gift, in honor of Virginia and Leonard Marx, 1990 (1990.18)