A Large 19th Century Rococo Overmantel Mirror in the Manner of Thomas Johnson
£19,500
SOLD
A fine and large mid-19th century carved, white painted gesso-cut overmantel mirror in the rococo taste, the crest surmounted with a hoho bird above an asymmetric frame of C-scrolls, icicles, sea shells and a balustrade.
THOMAS JOHNSON
Born in London in 1714 Thomas Johnson was a carver and gilder, particularly known for his fancy combination of Rococo and Chinese motifs. He was one of the most successful exponents of the Rococo style in England, giving it an energy not seen in the work of other contemporary designers.
Johnson is famed to have created mirrors in the early 1760s for prestigious figures such as George Cole of Golden Square, Paul Methuen at Corsham Court, and the Duke of Atholl at Blair Castle in the Scottish Highlands.
This mirror was made in the mid-19th century and is carved with forms and figures in the Rococo style, taken directly from Johnson’s designs. Rococo is a general term for florid asymmetrical decorative work and ornamental motifs in the mid-18th Century. The whole mirror is a feast of leaf and shell motifs. A notable feature of Johnson’s designs is the inclusion of carved animal and plant figures often based on Francis Barlow’s illustrations of Aesop’s Fables, first published in 1687.
