Frame for a Mirror (Primary Title)
Chinoiserie Framed Mirror (Former Title)
Unidentified maker, in the manner of, Matthias Lock, English, ca. 1710 - ca. 1765 (Artist)
The craftsman of this grand carved gilt frame borrowed
motifs from the traditional art of both Eastern and
Western Asian cultures. He accentuated these iconographic elements within the more familiar scrolling
curves and undulating sculpted forms of flowers
and plants that invested much of Rococo art with
its defining sense of movement and drama. The three
heads of boys that figure prominently in the overall
composition were likely inspired by a series of
chinoiserie engravings published in 1737 by the French
painter François Boucher (1703–1770) that also featured
children. While the frame’s two lateral phoenixes were
also hallmarks of the era’s chinoiserie, the head framed
within a shell on the frame’s bottom crosspiece was
inspired by Buddhist sculpture from the region of
Gandhara in Asia Minor (now northwestern Pakistan
and eastern Afghanistan). Its inclusion in this decorative
piece is surprising considering that Western art
historians only began seriously studying art from this
region in the late 19th century. The craftsman likely
copied a rare example of this kind of sculpture because
of its apparent exoticism without having any genuine
understanding of what it represented.
The Jordan and Thomas A. Saunders III Collection
Some object records are not complete and do not reflect VMFA's full and current knowledge. VMFA makes routine updates as records are reviewed and enhanced.
