Mirrors [antikvár]

Editor's Foreword Over the past number of years there has been a growing demand for a well-documented book on the subject of mirrors, in response to the new interest in mirrors as collector's pieces and ornaments, as distinct from their function as pieces for furniture. In each epoch and culture within the history of mankind the magic world of mirrors has produced unique forms and styles, and for this reason the historical development of the mirror cannot be described solely in terms of the frames or interior decoration, but instead requires to be studied in its own right. With this book we wish to present an enlarged edition of Serge Roche's "Miroirs - Galéries et Cabinets de glace" which was published in Paris in 1956 by Paul Hartmann and which is almost impossible to obtain nowadays. A large part of the black-and-white illustrations by the late Pierre Devinoy have been retained, but the entire colour section has been recast. By way of contrast to the first edition, both the text and the illustrations have been supplemented with striking examples of mirrors from the Art Nouveau and Art Deco periods since these two movements have had an important effect on mirror design in the 20th century. Serge Roche was for a long time the leading expert on mirrors in France and his gallery in the Rue St. Honoré (now the Galérie Jacques Kugel) was a centre where designers, art lovers and leading buyers from all over the world gathered. In 1934 an exhibition was held in his gallery under the patronage of M. François Carnot, the president of the Union Centrale des Arts Décoratifs. This exhibition with no less than 92 antique mirrors attracted much attention at the time and has remained to thisjday unsurpassed in both range and quality. Serge Roche was at the same time, however, himself a creative mirror designer whose work was sought after by international dealers. His introduction to this work spans varying epochs and cultures, and the author illustrated his descriptive text with a fascinating series of literary quotations.