"Hache" marquetry mirror - France (Dauphiné), late 17th century

This very beautiful marquetry mirror is a part of the production of the famous Hache dynasty, talented cabinetmakers established in the Dauphiné, on the Place de Grenoble, over three generations. Noël Hache (1630-1675), his son Thomas (1664-1747) and his grandson Pierre (1705-1776), distinguished themselves from the cabinetmakers of their time by the quality of their decoration - favoring the use of native woods such as walnut, fruit trees, olive tree or even sycamore - but also by the inventiveness of their assemblies and their forms. This superb mirror with double inverted profile which acclaimed by aristocratic circles at the time attests to this. Its frame presents a magnificent decoration inlaid with scrolls of acanthus made in the technique of “wood burnt with hot sand”. The edges of this frame are underlined by a frieze alternating between species of light wood and blackened wood which elegantly complete this rich ornamentation.