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Just before Christmas, I was contacted by a couple from Thousand Oaks, California, they are selling some of their prized collection in preparation for a cross country move. I was more than happy to negotiate the acquisition of this extraordinary vanity set. I will expect it's next owner will be more than thrilled to own this set, keep it safe and well cared for and respect it for the exquisite antiquity that it is. There are very few of these complete sets in existence today, please consider it carefully. This Art Nouveau 5 piece vanity set is comprised of a porcelain backed hand mirror, hair brush, 2 clothing or accessory brushes and a matching antique porcelain dresser tray. My photos show these pieces for what they really are and the colors are displaying very well, except, of course, for the blues in her dress. The distance photos show the true actual color of the blue, the close-up shots seem to make it a tad bit more bluer than it is, nonetheless, it's all spectacular. So keep that in mind, the closer the photo, the deeper the blue wanted to display.
This set was made during the late 1800's, during the onset of the Art Nouveau era. I have found no country of origin on any of the pieces but I am comfortable to attribute it's creation to the William Guerin Porcelain Factory of Limoges, France. In the past, I have sold many of their hand mirrors and vanity pieces and this set has all of the characteristics of their pieces. My assessment is based on past experience, in addition to well known and recognized resources. The hand mirror arrived with a somewhat clear mirror but no bevel at the edge so I knew it had been replaced many decades ago, as the glass was very thin, like old glass. So I dismantled the hand mirror and replaced the glass with a beautifully perfect beveled mirror, much like the original. This also allowed me the opportunity to search for a mark on the backside of the porcelain, however, none was found but we know that many of these porcelain discs for dresser pieces were not marked. As a point of interest, the McKinley Act of 1891 required that the name of the country where the porcelain or ceramic was made must be printed on each piece, therefore, since there are no markings on these pieces, this set could date to the early 1890's, however, the Art Nouveau era dates from 1895 - 1905. It is also possible that the porcelain was made earlier but not decorated until the mid 1890's.
The porcelain dresser tray certainly has all the traits of an earlier piece and it is unsigned. The distinguishing raised and blown out border (close-up shown below) certainly expresses the stylized and flowing lines of the Nouveau period. This vanity tray has a graceful and fluid edge along with a fair amount of gold gilt remaining. This dresser tray, as with all of these pieces, suffers no damages, chips, cracks or nicks, however, there is gold wear on the tray. This tray was loved and cared for, with over 110 years of cleaning and careful usage, this is to be expected. In my opinion, it is clearly a miracle that the tray has survived at all, with really nothing that can't be enjoyed and appreciated. Even though the central portrait transfer image shows very minor scratching near her chin, it's nothing overly naughty, considered quite acceptable and not distracting.
The metal hardware used on this set is constructed of German Silver, as marked, and sustains much of it's original gold gilding. The ends of the handles are set in with cute embossed Victorian cherubs, very reminiscent of a transitional set. Cherubs were very popular during the Victorian era (1837-1901) and they are the only element on this set that speaks of that time. The fancy pierced edges on the rims are some of my favorite designs, definitely more attractive to the collector. The metal has been very well preserved, I detect no denting or other structural flaws caused from usage or age. I did give the set a gentle cleaning, very gently, as I did not want to disturbed any of the remaining gold gilding, which all looks remarkably very nice. The more noticeable of the gold loss is where the hand touched the metal more frequently, that being more so on the hand mirror and less on the brushes.
The set displays superbly in these 2 photos, showing the clear reflection of the tray in the beveled mirror and the full and rather clean brushes. The brush bristles appear to be perhaps natural boar, they are soft and pliable and look to have had minimal usage. Only a very few bristles fell from the accessory brushes during the cleaning of the metal, so I expect that these brushes will hold up well for many decades to come. I usually advocate that antique brushes are for decorative use only but these are in very nice, gently used condition, so there future service will be at your discretion. The set feels sound and secure during handling. Again, the coloring and condition shows well in these pictures.
These photos continue to define the set in it's precise form. All photos were taken is natural daylight, no artificial light and with the drape drawn. I tried to keep all reflections at bay but a few were unavoidable. The dresser tray, with it's delightful curvy and sculpted border, measures over 12 inches side to side by 9½ from front to back. The larger and smaller accessory brushes have lush bristles and measure 7 by 2 inches and 6 by 1¼ inches. The hand mirror is 9¼ inches in length with a 5 inch viewing surface and the hair brush is proportionately a little smaller. This is a generously sized set and exhibits all the appeal and allure that could be tastefully expressed within the proper spirit of the Nouveau era.
Let me conclude by stating how illuminating the hand applied gold gilt background is and how brilliantly it effects this set. This radiant woman, with her flowing long hair and lavender flower barrette is as beautiful as any portrait I have seen. She is poised and her facial features are both charming and utterly captivating. Her confident pose, in her semi sheer dress, will enhance any vanity or dresser top. These last 2 photos, shown below, really portray these pieces very well, in color, style, character and condition. The complete and radiant artwork covers the greater portion of the porcelain and there is only a very minor occasional paint flaw to be found, really nothing much at all. Again, no chips, cracks or structurally relevant flaws. The overall charisma and magnetism of this set far over shadows any minor age related and indiscriminant flaws. This is a rare, rare, rare, antique Art Nouveau dynamic 5 piece vanity set that is sure to please the lady of the house. OH, what a sweet gift this set would make, it's full of life.
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