Plateau mirrors, also called mirror trays or looking-glass trays, are Victorian treasures that bring a reflective history to the modern home. Popular in the mid-to-late 19th century, these low, mirrored platforms were placed on dressing tables to showcase jewelry and perfume bottles, or used as dining table centerpieces to multiply candlelight and deepen a room’s atmosphere. The combination of a beveled glass surface and a richly detailed metal base lent an immediate sense of opulence: silver-plated mounts often display scrolling foliage, floral motifs, or even mythic figures, each design adding personality and ceremony to everyday rituals.
Some plateau mirrors were the work of celebrated silversmiths, but many were made by skilled metalworking firms responding to Victorian tastes for ornament and display. Today, a plateau mirror functions as both object and stage—perfect for curating treasured objects, elevating a vanity, or amplifying soft light in a slow-living interior. At Hawthorn, we cherish these heirloom pieces for the way they honor ritual and craft: each mirror invites a moment of reflection, literally and figuratively, in a home designed to be lived in beautifully.
Provenance: Victorian Era, c. 1880s
Dimensions
+ Diameter: 10 ¼ in.
+ Height: 2 in.
*The photo may slightly different from actual item in terms of colour due to the lighting during photo shooting or the monitor's display. All sales on vintage items are final.
Plateau mirrors, also called mirror trays or looking-glass trays, are Victorian treasures that bring a reflective history to the modern home. Popular in the mid-to-late 19th century, these low, mirrored platforms were placed on dressing tables to showcase jewelry and perfume bottles, or used as dining table centerpieces to multiply candlelight and deepen a room’s atmosphere. The combination of a beveled glass surface and a richly detailed metal base lent an immediate sense of opulence: silver-plated mounts often display scrolling foliage, floral motifs, or even mythic figures, each design adding personality and ceremony to everyday rituals.
Some plateau mirrors were the work of celebrated silversmiths, but many were made by skilled metalworking firms responding to Victorian tastes for ornament and display. Today, a plateau mirror functions as both object and stage—perfect for curating treasured objects, elevating a vanity, or amplifying soft light in a slow-living interior. At Hawthorn, we cherish these heirloom pieces for the way they honor ritual and craft: each mirror invites a moment of reflection, literally and figuratively, in a home designed to be lived in beautifully.
Provenance: Victorian Era, c. 1880s
Dimensions
+ Diameter: 10 ¼ in.
+ Height: 2 in.
*The photo may slightly different from actual item in terms of colour due to the lighting during photo shooting or the monitor's display. All sales on vintage items are final.
