Louis XIV-era Marquetry Mirror Attributed To Noel Hache (1630–1675)

A mirror with an inverted profile, decorated with rich marquetry of native woods featuring leaf motifs, attributed to Noel Hache (1630–1675). Finely decorated using the hot-sand burnishing technique, it is finished with ebony-style moldings accented by light-colored wood fillets. Original mercury mirror. The son of a baker, born in Calais in 1635, Noël Hache settled in Toulouse at the age of 21. He was admitted as a master craftsman in Toulouse on March 26, 1665, and became “bayle” of the guild—the equivalent of master guardian—on July 29, 1667. Archival documents suggest that he may have been the only cabinetmaker in Toulouse around 1660; or at least, this is a title he seems to have claimed. It was likely in Calais, a small town in northern France not far from the Netherlands and renowned for its mastery of floral marquetry, that he learned the art of cabinetmaking—an art still relatively new in France—which he would later introduce to Languedoc. Excellent condition. Dimensions H 56,5 cm L 50 cm