An Irish mahogany mirror

Note: The mercury silvered and bevelled mirror plate is an 18th century replacement, and the carved cartouche is of later date.
Architectural mirrors of this period without any gilded elements are extremely rare. A comparable example, formerly with Hotspur, is now in a private collection in Illinois, USA. As in this case, the central cresting is often a cartouche carrying the family crest. The family crest could then be removed, either by the family selling the mirror or the dealer buying it, in order to be replaced by the crest of the new owner.