A historicist Brussels silver table mirror by Wolfers Frères
Broad asymmetrical rocaille frame made from repoussé silver with some fully sculpted finely chased cast silver reed and poppy flower appliqués. The original faceted mirror glass backed with silver foil. The back panel of solid polished and moulded mahogany with a lyre shaped folding support connected via two hinges (the bolt lost). H 65.5, W 44 cm.
Marks of Wolfers Frères S.A., circa 1895 - 97.
Louis François Guillaume Wolfers (1820 - 1892) founded a store for high-quality silverware in Brussels in 1850, and within a few decades it became one of the leading companies in Europe. His three sons Philippe (1858-1929), Max (1859-1953) and Robert (1867-1959) joined the company in 1877, but it was not until 1885 that it was renamed "Louis Wolfers père et fils". The company or maker's mark was changed to the three five-pointed stars in 1892/93. Five years after Louis' death, in 1897, the sons then changed the name to "Wolfers Frères". Philippe Wolfers was the most talented of the sons. He participated in the firm's design processes from an early age. He attended the Brussels Academy of Art and in 1873 travelled to the Vienna World Fair, where he was deeply impressed by the decorative arts from the distant Japanese Empire, which were presented there for the first time. The Japonism influence is clearly visible in the rendering of the foliate motifs that decorate this table mirror. However, Philippe Wolfers had not yet broken away entirely from Historicism in this work; as the base is clearly influenced by the Rococo Revival movement, the most popular furnishing style during the Belle Époque, but the finely cast and chased plants already hint at the coming Art Nouveau, the era in which Philippe's jewellery designs would achieve worldwide renown.