this grand and important mirror was carved and decorated in the Rococo style from the early 2nd quarter of the 18th century, it retains its original mirrorplates and backing, the word Rococo is derived from the French word rocaille, which denoted the shell-covered rock work that was used to decorate artificial grottoes, Rococo style in interior design, the decorative arts, painting, architecture, and sculpture originated in Paris in the early 18th century but was soon adopted throughout France and later in other countries such as neigboring Italy, It is characterized by lightness, elegance, and an exuberant use of curving, natural forms in ornamentation, this example having a large oval mirrorplate as a finial topped by foliate carving, the inner body and inner moldings of carved rock-work form, the rectangular main part of the mirror features exuberantly carved "shoulders" and overlapping scrolls with an inner carved banding, centered at the bottom is a shell carved terminal flanked by rocaille "feet"