Wood Marquetry and Brass Mirror

A wood marquetry and brass mirror, French work made circa 1960. The frame combines marquetry decoration, playing on the tones and grain of the woods, with brass elements whose golden gleam sets off the composition. Sober and elegant, the piece highlights the quality of its materials rather than ornament.

Marquetry, a traditional cabinetmaking technique, found new favour with mid-twentieth-century decorators, who readily combined it with brass to modernise simple forms. This dialogue between the warmth of wood and the light of metal characterises part of the furniture of the period. The mirror suits an entrance hall, a living room or a bedroom, above a console or a chest of drawers.