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Accession #	2000.45
Maker	Napier
Title	Mirror
Date	ca. 1928
Medium	Silver, mirrored glass
Dimensions	14 1/8 x 6 1/4 x 1/2 in. (35.9 x 15.9 x 1.3 cm)
Marks	Stamped on outer edge of frame, near handle join: "(N) STERLING"
Inscriptions	Etched monogram in script ,one letter on back of each bird: "B S"
Credit Line	H. Randolph Lever Fund
Location	Visible Storage: Case 22, Shelf F (Silver)
Description	Silver hand mirror with long handle, Art Deco style decorations. Round glass mirror enclosed in silver frame. Back side divided into three vertical sections of repoussé decoration: central band contains two stylized parrots (or other tropical bird) perched on leafy branches; outer bands both filled with basket weave pattern. Strap handle attached to frame at shell-shaped join; handle extends from here, bulges out at center then tapers to stylized leaf finial and small ball point. Condition: Good, minor scratches throughout; ding on back of handle near finial.

Curatorial Remarks: These two objects were probably parts of elaborate dressing table sets that included a handheld brush, mirror, combs, small boxes, and other accessories. When the hairbrush was made, the French Art Nouveau style was new and considered avant-garde. The dense, curvilinear floral design and the female head with long, curling tresses are characteristic of that style. A generation later, this taste for curvilinear naturalism was supplanted by the French Art Moderne (or Art Deco) style of the hand mirror. Here, nature is still invoked in the decoration, but it is rendered in a more schematic, hard-edged manner that appears more modern today.