The Starburst Mirror – A Classic Iconic Mirror

There has been a lot of chatter as to whether the starburst mirror is a trend or a classic.  What do you think?  I think anything that has withstood the test of time like this iconic mirror is a classic.  This mirror has been around for centuries. Therefore, I don’t consider it a trend.

There are many theories on the origin of the starburst mirror.  Many historians think it’s popularity began when the starburst frames which were repurposed by collectors and antique dealers from religious icons that were in abundance after the French Revolution.  Some historians attribute the mirrors to Louis XIV, nicknamed “The Sun King.”  Many claim that Louis chose the sun emblem as his personal icon because he loved the sun and its powerful rays but a recent trip to Chateau Vaux Le Vicomte challenges that theory.  When I was in Paris a couple of years ago, I visited Vaux Le Vicomte.  Our tour guide shared the history of the famous chateau.    Nicolas Fouquet, who built Vaux Le Vicomte, was Louis XIV’s Superintendent of Finances.  I won’t go into great detail here but let’s just say Louis was threatened by Fouquet’s opulent home and furnishings.  He feared that Fouquet was far more impressive than the King himself.  He was offended that Fouquet stood many feet above him on the steps of Vaux Le Vicomte when he greeted Louis XIV when he entered the grounds.  Noone was to stand above the King! He had Fouquet thrown in prison and stripped the chateaux of most of its furnishings.  He went to far as to steal Nicolas’s personal emblems that were the sun and the squirrel.  I plan to write more about Vaux Le Vicomte in a later post.  There is a painting that shows the starburst mirror was used far before Vaux Le Vicomte or Louis XIV.  Shown below in a painting by famous artist Jan Van Eyck from the 15th century, which reveals a starburst mirror in the background of the  “Arnofini’s Wedding” painted in 1493.  I remember studying this painting in Art History class when I was in design school.   This painting and many others that with symbolic meaning woven into the composition taught me to study great works of art for more than just the overall beauty. 
See the starburst convex mirror in the background?  If you look 
closely it reveals the artist himself in the reflection.