Pair of mirrors

Venice, Mirrors (pair), gilded wood and cut glass, 135 x 95 cm

Sala dei quadri

Palazzo Vendramin Grimani, 2022

The generous size of this pair of mirrors immediately strikes the viewer: they testify to the excellence of the Serenissima in glasswork. But these pieces are more than a technical tour de force. They also attest to the sense of decoration and the care given to the detail of these objects, which were intended to embellish Venetian palaces. The curved shapes of the corners, the delicacy of the cut-glass ornaments, the play of bevels, and above all the presence of figures representing Apollo on one of the pieces and his Muses on the other, all contribute to making these pieces precious examples of the refinement of the eighteenth-century decorative arts in Venice. These fragile objects have often been altered: the pair on display in the Palazzo Vendramin Grimani bears the signs of the wear and tear of time, but has retained a remarkable freshness.