19c American Gilt Wall Mirror

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Fresh from a NY estate via Florida, this 19c American gilt wood wall mirror by Josea Dugliss of Greenwich Village, … Read more Fresh from a NY estate via Florida, this 19c American gilt wood wall mirror by Josea Dugliss of Greenwich Village, 'Looking Glass Manufacturer', a true piece of Americana and late 1800s NYC history. This was in the family for 4 generations since the late 1800s marriage of the owner's grandparents. Perhaps it was new then or 'used' as it smacks of 1880s construction with American softwoods and pine slab backing and the shellacked maker's label.
A number or museums feature Dugliss mirrors.

Mirror glass was replaced at some point in the last 140 years and in excellent condition.

From Google: AI Overview: The image shows an American Classical/Empire giltwood pier mirror, featuring a wide rectangular ogee-molded frame.Hosea Dugliss (often misspelled as Josea) was a prominent 19th-century American artisan who operated as a "Looking Glass Manufacturer" in New York City from the 1820s through the 1840s. Mirrors crafted by Dugliss or his contemporary New York competitors (such as Augustus F. Cammeyer or Isaac Platt) typically featured an identifying paper maker's label affixed to the wooden backing boards.Key Characteristics of Hosea Dugliss Period Mirrors Design Era: Pieces from this timeframe fall squarely within the American Late Classical and Empire styles, defined by bold, architectural profiles, heavy moldings, and rich gilding.
Gilding Techniques: True period pieces feature a combination of water gilding (using genuine gold leaf over a red or yellow clay bole base) and oil gilding. Wear often reveals the reddish clay underlayer beneath the gold.Materials: The structural frames were typically built from native North American softwoods like white pine or yellow poplar, which were then layered with composition ornament (gesso) and gold leaf.Institutional Examples: Highly ornate, monumental pier mirrors documented to Hosea Dugliss can be found in prestigious collections like the Bartow-Pell Mansion Museum in New York. See less