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Hello everyone - after a very long time away being ill, I am now back, and freelance! Nothing like hospital to sort your priorities out. So, I am now trying to establish myself as a signwriter, striper and traditional decorator in addition to my 'lowbrow' art.
Anyway, I have been promising Dave Smith for a very long time that I would take some pics of this mirror and post it here. It belongs to my mum, we've had it in our house ever since I was tiny. I'm not sure where it came from originally, but both my parents collected signs. Unfortunately, as you can see, it is a bit worse for wear, but my mum loves it the way it is.
A piece in a similiar condition passed my way a time back. The owner liked the aged look but wanted to improve and/or arrest any further deterioration. I carefully took off the backing boards, cut a piece of illustration board the same size as the glass, then spray mounted aluminum foil over it (with the shiney side out). I then put it back together. The additional 1/16" thickness of the illustration board pressed most of the peeling silver back down to the glass. It didn't appear as if the peeling silver was going to be able to come away from the glass any further. It had a nice look and the client liked the appearance of the foil over seeing the backing boards through the glass.
Scarlett,
Glad to hear your better.What a great piece.
I have been receiving more requists for antique mirroring that looks like that.I am starting some samples now to try and recreate that look.What kind of enviroment is the piece in?I know it's very wet over there.Does it get direct sun on it?What do you think is backing it up behind?
Scarlett
Thanks for posting this panel,very nice piece and I also like the aged look.I'm working on a simalar panel at the moment with all the silver coming away like this one.
Is the panel signed ? they usually sign them in the centre of the glass on the acid line. It looks like the same techniques and style of glass that collectors are bringing to me to restore. Here is a pic of the old brewery chimley just off Brick Lane ,London, most of the factory now is old shops and flats from what I could see.
Glad the hear your better Scarlett.
Dave
It has always been pretty badly peeled from what I remember, but a few years ago my mum and her partner moved house from Lancashire to Shropshire, and he just bunged it into the van upside down (glass side down!) with no care, and a lot more of the silvering came off. It seems very fragile - but it now seems to be stable, and is hanging above her mantelpiece. I'll try phoning her later and ask her about a signature - I don't remember seeing one but it's possible it's there, it's in quite a dark room facing windows so the reflection made it difficult to see.
It is pretty damp and humid here, more so in Lancashire where it was above the range for nearly 20 years, but I'm not sure if that's what caused it. I don't know much about the silvering process, but perhaps it was poorly backed up so the damp air got in there and peeled it away from the glass. Notice where the letters are it's still intact. Do fluctuations in temperature on glass cause this to happen? I mean, any situation where you might get condensation on the reverse might start to do this over a number of years? Both my parents were originally from London, and I think they had it from their early days there (if it had been in Lancashire for more than 20 years I would seriously start thinking the damp did it - my elderly neighbour said her husband "Died o't'damp!"
Glad you all like it as much as we do - ever since i was small I have had a love of Truman, Hanbury & Buxton design because of this mirror, as English brewers go I think they've got the lead in the style stakes!
Denver Chapter of the Letterheads