Mirrors have been an integral part of home decor for quite some time, they make the space look bigger, brighter, can be used in the place of wall art and so on. Convex mirrors are also used in the rooms, however convex mirrors are less of a use to focus light and more for a virtual image as they cover a wider field of view. A lot of times we have seen convex mirrors being used in dining rooms, Keno brothers have very interesting explanation on this.
The landed gentry, however, were thinking less about fun and games and more about keeping an eye on the guests (and maybe the family silver). Like a wide-angle, fish-eye camera lens, the outward-bending glass allowed a butler to see an entire room—and which glasses needed refilling—while staying discreetly out of sight. It was the ultimate domestic surveillance system.
 |
| Leigh and Leslie Keno having fun |
If you are in the market for a convex mirror to keep an eye on your guests in your dining room, here are some good examples available through 1st Dib
s.
 |
| Regency-Dolphin mirror |
 |
| Very interesting asymmetrical sunburst mirror |
 |
| Thousand eye mirror |
Credits: Traditional home, 1st dibs
What interesting examples! I wonder if the mirror in the first image had a matching barometer originally. That is such an unusual form.
ReplyDeleteYes they are interesting. The first mirror is early 20th century Italian. The store at this time has just this piece. It may be possible that this frame originally had a barometer and later replaced by a mirror?
ReplyDelete