LATE 17TH EARLY 18TH CENTURY, IN THE MANNER OF FANTONI

The bold foliate scrolls and pounced entwined strapwork is reminiscent of the work executed by the workshop of the Fantoni family in Rovetta near Bergamo. Fantoni was one of the leading names in the art of 'Intaglio'. From a dynasty of carvers who were famous for their work in churches around Bergamo from the mid-15th Century, Andrea Fantoni (1659 - 1734) and his two brothers Donato and Gianbattista were active during the late 17th and early 18th Century. Designs and drawings related to this mirror are now in the Museo Fantoniano of Rovetta. It is, however, difficult to attribute this mirror because different regions of Italy produced giltwood frames and mirrors close to this design. A related Florentine giltwood mirror of the second half of the 17th Century is illustrated in 'Cornici Barocche e Stampe', exhibition catalogue, Firenze, Palazzo Pitti, 1998, pp. 30-31, no. III.