Turkish 900 Silver Hand Mirror with Repoussé-Style Scrolls – Marked BEDO
A mirror is the most personal thing on a dressing table, and the Turkish silversmiths made sure the back was worth looking at too.
Silver hand mirrors with richly worked backs have long been a speciality of Turkish silversmiths, and in the twentieth century the workshops of Istanbul produced them in quantity. Mirrors of this kind have long been associated with wedding gifts. They were made in 900 silver, the standard common across much of Europe and the Middle East, slightly lower than English sterling at 925.
The back is decorated in repoussé-style relief, with deep scrolls and open flowers covering the whole surface. At the centre sits a plain shaped cartouche, left blank. The decoration continues down the length of the handle, which tapers to a rounded end. The front holds a round bevelled glass in a plain silver rim. The back is stamped 900 and BEDO.
The mirror is in very good condition. The bevelled glass is intact, and there is darker patination within the recesses of the decoration, which shows off the depth of the relief.
Buyer profile: anyone furnishing a dressing table; collectors of decorative silver; those looking for a wedding or anniversary gift
Collector Appeal
Turkish silver mirrors are among the most decorative pieces of everyday silver, and this one is well worked from edge to handle. The unengraved central cartouche also offers the possibility of personalisation, while remaining attractive in its original undecorated state.
Made to be picked up every morning, and admired every time it is put down.
