| While Venice is best known for its ancient bridges, | | | | vary. You can find mirrors that are shaped like circles, |
| canals and gondolas, it is also home to some of the | | | | octagons, squares, or even hearts. And while most |
| world’s greatest craftsmen. One of the products | | | | Venetian mirrors traditionally had metal gilded frames, it |
| they are best known for is the Venetian mirror. The | | | | is possible to find frames with a bit of color in |
| mirror is named for the city because the techniques | | | | contemporary designs. |
| for making it originated there. In fact, many Venetian | | | | Though the exact date is not known, the Venetian |
| mirrors are still made and assembled by hand using | | | | mirror was invented sometime during the 16th century |
| these ancient techniques. | | | | when craftsmen perfected a method of encasing |
| What makes a Venetian mirror so special? Aside | | | | mirrors in protective metal. At the time, mirrors were |
| from the fact that they are well made and will last for | | | | merely functional pieces. But as the sales of these |
| decades, even centuries, the style of these mirrors is | | | | devices grew, craftsmen became more experimental. |
| what immediately catches the eye. After all, most | | | | The results of this experimentation could be seen first |
| mirrors are merely functional devices. You hang them | | | | in the frames, which became lager and more ornate. |
| in the bathroom so you can comb your hair and | | | | No longer were they simply a protective accessory, |
| properly groom yourself in the morning, or you hang | | | | but rather an inseparable part of the mirror itself. |
| them in the hallway because you don’t have any | | | | Frame design continued to grow and was strongly |
| painting to put up. | | | | influenced by the art of the Rococo period. |
| But Venetian mirrors are different. In fact, many | | | | Who buys these mirrors? When it comes to original |
| collectors have spent a lifetime buying and selling rare, | | | | Venetian mirrors, the answer is collectors and dealers. |
| antique Venetian mirrors all over the world. The price | | | | The average homeowner simply cannot afford a real |
| tag can range from a few thousand to a few hundred | | | | Venetian mirror, which can cost anywhere from tens |
| thousand dollars. | | | | of thousands to hundreds of thousands. But then |
| The first thing you notice when you look at the | | | | what did you see hanging in your best friend’s |
| average Venetian mirror is its ornate and often bold | | | | bathroom? Well, that may have been a Venetian style |
| designs. This was the hallmark of early mirrors and it | | | | mirror, alright, but it was mostly likely a reproduction. |
| naturally encouraged craftsmen and artists alike to be | | | | And there is certainly nothing wrong with that. In fact, |
| more creative and experimental when plying their | | | | many reproductions are built by hand using many of |
| trade. That is why styles as well as shapes often | | | | the same techniques as the ancient Venetian masters. |