Barbola hand decorated mirror, probably 1920s. This one is particularly large. All Barbola mirrors are one offs. This one stands 47 cm tall 26 cm wide, has a guilded back and easel, lovely bezel edge to the mirror also known as the plate. The design shows that this is a quality item. Fantastic condition. Please note this price is for the Barbola mirror only, other mirrors are for illustration only. They are called Barbolas but this refers to the frame and not the mirror.
 
Barbola is gesso work decoration common to lots of items including fire screens, trinket boxes and cigarette holders. According to Lidy Baars of French Garden House, gesso paste was used as a lighter, cheaper substitute for carved wood.
 
‘Carving was labour intensive and costly, it was also very heavy,’ Lidy explains in an article on Barbolas for eBay.
 
‘Gesso is a paste made by mixing whiting with size or glue to a mouldable consistency, which will dry hard. It’s a very old form of decoration.”
 
Barbola mirrors were hugely popular in
England at the turn of the last century but – with the delicate flowers being susceptible to damage – they are relatively scarce and highly collectible. They are especially prized in America where prices can be very high.