Barbola wall mirror

Here we are in 1930s Britain! In the background, there’s a stunning 1930s English fabric featuring delightful pink and yellow rosebuds on a beige satin cotton fabric, suitable for quilting or making a beautiful curtain. On this backdrop, I place the first Barbola mirror, a beautiful oval wall mirror with a delicate Barbola-worked frame. Barbola is a type of plasterwork that was quite popular in the 1930s, especially in England.

In this mirror, the Barbola frame extends around the entire oval and is decorated with a relief ribbon motif in shades of pink, along with two groups of raised pink rosebuds placed asymmetrically. Of course, there’s the classic chain with a ring for hanging it. I’m displaying it horizontally, but it can also be hung vertically.

Just arrived

Ancient French fabric-covered box

Next to the mirror, I hang a small finely embroidered purse, and below, I place a beautiful French three-compartment box covered in burgundy red fabric with a floral pattern. The central compartment opens, and its interior is lined with old brown paper, with a small attached mirror. The two side compartments open like wings and feature two splendid antique French haberdashery labels on the inside…

I take out a beautiful vintage American Florenza bracelet from the box, dating back to the 1940s-1950s, and a whisky-colored silk scarf embroidered with chain-stitched roses. I also bring out some lovely antique perfume bottles and a set of English scarf pins from the 1930s. On the other side, there’s a glove box covered in cream-colored fabric with small flowers, and on top of it, I place a coloring book for ladies with watercolor designs, allowing them to copy the splendid Catherine Klein chromolithographs featuring roses…

In the lower part, I continue to suggest the same atmosphere. I found a wonderful French haberdashery box filled with old silk thread spools. The box is covered in an incredible shade of pink with a rose pattern. On top, there’s a lovely pin cushion with colorful crocheted roses. Positioned in front is another watercolor album with Catherine Klein postcards to copy. Then, there’s a wooden jewelry box with a lid decorated with red roses, also by Catherine Klein. Behind it, I place an oval French metal tray in yellow, painted with… roses! Finally, there’s the second delightful Barbola mirror, this time for a dressing table, also adorned with little roses!

In front of the mirror, there’s an exquisite celluloid bookmark with a butterfly and rose, along with a dance powder purse made of gradient silk with silk rose decoration and a mirror attached to the lower base. It’s remarkably well-preserved given its extreme delicacy and fragility!