Antique Cheval Mirrors and Dressing Mirrors: Identification Guide

A cheval mirror pivots within a freestanding frame, allowing the plate angle to change. Mirror glass, backing and pivot hardware are often replaced during a long working life.

Recognising the form

Examine standards, feet, stretchers, pivot bolts, frame joints and the protected back. Determine whether the plate was made for the frame and whether its shape fits without packing.

Names used by dealers and catalogues can change over time. Start with construction and function, then compare the object with dated examples.

Dating and attribution

Frame design, joinery, hardware, glass thickness and backing contribute to dating. Foxing alone does not prove age, and old glass can be placed in a later frame.

Use several independent clues together. Patina, wear or one old-looking component cannot prove that the whole object is of one period.

Condition and alterations

Check stability, loose pivots, cracked glass, failing silvering, degraded backing and breaks at feet or standards. Heavy plates require secure restraint.

Photograph the back, underside, fittings and interior. Replaced working parts may be acceptable when honestly described, but they affect interpretation, value and care.

Care and use

Move the mirror with the plate immobilised and enough people. Do not spray cleaner directly onto glass; liquid can run behind and damage silvering, backing and frame.

Keep the furniture in stable indoor conditions, protect it from direct sunlight and avoid overloading moving parts. Any structural repair should preserve original material and remain serviceable in the future.

Buying checklist

Confirm dimensions, completeness, keys or loose components, restoration history and transport needs. Ask which statements are documented facts and which are seller attributions. For expensive or unusual examples, an independent condition report is worthwhile.