Since they became an integral part of interior decoration in the 18th century, these items have been made in a diverse range of materials and styles.

Both mirrors and screens were origin- ally designed for a practical function, beyond mere vanity or decoration: wall mirrors to reflect the dim light of candles at night, and screens to protect sitters from draughts or from heat. However, they quickly became decorative objects in their own right. Production declined only with the arrival of electricity and central heating.

Wall Mirrors

The majority of today’s collectable mirrors were made between the earliest appearance of plate mirror glass in the late 17th century and the introduction of electric light around 1900. Most are wall mirrors, and examples with ornate candle sconces, or girandoles, are generally more valuable than those without. Many have lost their sconces or had them removed when electricity was introduced.

Large wall mirrors from the early and mid- 18th century often have two or more pieces of glass; mirror glass was expensive and could only be made in small plates. Mirrors from this period generally have elaborately carved and gilded frames. Huge pier glasses date from this same era, many with girandoles for candles.

Antique Collection

Wall mirrors were framed in all prevailing fashions in the 18th century, and designers created highly elaborate and attractive forms that are much sought after. Thomas Chippendale designed mirror frames decorated with Rococo foliage and Chinese ho-ho birds, with delicate Gothic tracery, or sometimes with Chinoiserie figures in a style influenced by imported ceramics. Good single examples can realise £20,000, and a pair will fetch about three times this figure.

Overmantel mirrors were made to go above imposing fireplaces, and the frame of these broad, ‘landscape’ mirrors is often decorated with ball pendants and a female figure reclining in a chariot. An original late 18th or early 19th-century example may fetch as little as £1500-£2000, and copies dating from the end of the 19th century will sell for around £300-£500. Regency overmantel mirrors tend to be shallower than their predecessors.

Small convex wall mirrors about 18 in (46 cm) across became popular around 1800, and were fashionable throughout Victorian times. It is worth checking these carefully, however, as reproductions of Regency designs appeared at the end of the 19th century, and usually have a narrower frame. Original examples often have an eagle cresting to symbolize British military power. The more elaborate the cresting, the more a mirror will fetch at auction, and if it has candle-arms these increase the price even more. Few sell for under £2000, although late 19th-century reproductions fetch in the region of £500.

Many 19th-century mirror frames appear to be made of carved wood but are in fact composition or plaster. These materials often break, so plaster-frame mirrors — even gilt or highly decorated ones — are far less expensive than earlier wooden examples. It is worth examining any breaks to see whether there is wood or smooth plaster underneath.

Mirrors on Stands

Among freestanding mirrors, the most desirable to modern collectors are cheval mirrors, introduced to Britain by Thomas Sheraton in the late 18th century. These large, adjustable toilet mirrors in a frame stand on the floor, and are also known as ‘horse dressing glasses‘ and ‘psyches’. Georgian and Regency cheval mirrors are hard to find and change hands for between £1500 and £4000. Victorian examples can be found for about £300-£500.

Adaptations of the idea introduced in the 19th century include the shaving stand, which combines an adjustable mirror with a ledge for storing shaving equipment. These are relatively cheap, as are toilet, or dressing-table, mirrors, even of the Georgian and Regency periods. An 18th-century toilet glass can be bought for £150 upwards, and will usually have small drawers under the swing mirror. The cheapest Victorian examples do not have drawers and start from just £10.

Screens

The Victorians produced a variety of screens using many different materials, including solid wood, embroidered silks, plain and stained glass, mirrors and ceramic tiles. Some examples were embroidered with Berlin wool- work. These range in price from £50 to £500, depending on quality.

Small decorative fire-screens were imported in large numbers from the Orient from the 1880s up until the First World War. These are still cheap but can be in poor condition. A good example fetches around £500.

Sliding pole screens have been used since medieval times and have survived in fair numbers. Examples fetch £200 up to £2000.

Large folding screens from the early 18th cm tury are often covered with embossed leather wall panelling. These fetch up to £10,000.

A fashionable 19th-century pastime for young women was to cover large screens with a collage of specially made ’scraps’ of paper. These appealing pieces fetch only £300-£500.

Much rarer and more valuable are Chinese lacquered screens, which first reached Europe about 1700. Some Japanese examples were cut up and made into cabinets. Such screens may have as many as 12 panels, and sell at auction for £5000-£10, 000.

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