All About Venetian Mirrors?

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While Venice is best known for its ancient bridges, canals and gondolas, it is also home to some of the world’s greatest craftsmen. One of the products they are best known for is the Venetian mirror. The mirror is named for the city because the techniques for making it originated there. In fact, many Venetian mirrors are still made and assembled by hand using these ancient techniques.

What makes a Venetian mirror so special? Aside from the fact that they are well made and will last for decades, even centuries, the style of these mirrors is what immediately catches the eye. After all, most mirrors are merely functional devices. You hang them in the bathroom so you can comb your hair and properly groom yourself in the morning, or you hang them in the hallway because you don’t have any painting to put up.

But Venetian mirrors are different. In fact, many collectors have spent a lifetime buying and selling rare, antique Venetian mirrors all over the world. The price tag can range from a few thousand to a few hundred thousand dollars.

The first thing you notice when you look at the average Venetian mirror is its ornate and often bold designs. This was the hallmark of early mirrors and it naturally encouraged craftsmen and artists alike to be more creative and experimental when plying their trade. That is why styles as well as shapes often vary. You can find mirrors that are shaped like circles, octagons, squares, or even hearts. And while most Venetian mirrors traditionally had metal gilded frames, it is possible to find frames with a bit of color in contemporary designs.

Though the exact date is not known, the Venetian mirror was invented sometime during the 16th century when craftsmen perfected a method of encasing mirrors in protective metal. At the time, mirrors were merely functional pieces. But as the sales of these devices grew, craftsmen became more experimental. The results of this experimentation could be seen first in the frames, which became lager and more ornate. No longer were they simply a protective accessory, but rather an inseparable part of the mirror itself. Frame design continued to grow and was strongly influenced by the art of the Rococo period.

Who buys these mirrors? When it comes to original Venetian mirrors, the answer is collectors and dealers. The average homeowner simply cannot afford a real Venetian mirror, which can cost anywhere from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands.  But then what did you see hanging in your best friend’s bathroom? Well, that may have been a Venetian style mirror, alright, but it was mostly likely a reproduction. And there is certainly nothing wrong with that. In fact, many reproductions are built by hand using many of the same techniques as the ancient Venetian masters.

These Venetian mirrors can be a designed to fit nearly any home décor whether in the bathroom, the living room or in the hallway. They are also relatively inexpensive, with the average reproduction ranging in price from 500 to 1000 dollars.

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