A rare Aesthetic movement octagonal enamelled glass mirror by James Powell & Sons

The central circular convex plate surrounded by a border of white enamelled glass decorated with blue dots in line reserves, in turn bordered by blue enamel decorated with white floral sprigs. All delineated by gilt lead dividers.

England, circa 1880

Condition: Two panels with restored hairline cracks

A similar pair of mirrors but with brick red decoration and five candleholders can be found at Nymans, West Sussex. Although bizarrely catalogued by the National Trust as verre eglomise and dating to 1800 (object number: NT 1205639.2), these are certainly the work of James Powell & Sons and part of the same group of mirrors as ours.
The 1865 Whitefriars British glass catalogue illustrates a group of ten mirrors comparable to ours. The designs are shown with or without candle arms, and feature either white decoration on a blue ground or blue decoration on a white ground, often divided by gilt lead.
Similar examples of James Powell & Sons mosaic tiling can be seen at the east end of Christ Church Epsom Common, and in many other ecclesiastical settings throughout the UK.

James Powell & Sons were one of the most important glass manufacturers of the 19th century, a byword for the highest quality glass of the Aesthetic Movement.