Oval Glass
Dublin Core
Title
Oval Glass
Subject
[no text]
Description
A mirror gifted to Dorian by Lord Henry, decorated with "ivory Cupids" (Wilde 88). Dorian destroys the mirror by throwing it then stomping on it in anger after he views his perfect beauty and recalling noticing his portraits sinister changes for the first time (Wilde 210). The mirror could connect to the text's study of Narcissus and vanity.
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The mirror shown in the image was made in France in 1860, according to the Victoria and Albert Museum. It does not depict any cherubs, instead, shows "moulded shell, ribbon, floral and cartouche decoration on front and back. The reverse of the mirror is decorated with an oval cartouche of rings enclosing another of flowers and leaves with a bird bringing a butterfly to its young in a nest" (Hand mirror).
Though it does not exactly match the rather vauge description in Wilde's text, Lord Henry's consistent connection to French design and objects could make a case for its inclusion in the archive. Moreover, the piece is made in part from "bois durci," a mixture of wood and blood-- an interesting, if not morbid, part of the piece. Dorian's mirror is not given a specified material
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The mirror shown in the image was made in France in 1860, according to the Victoria and Albert Museum. It does not depict any cherubs, instead, shows "moulded shell, ribbon, floral and cartouche decoration on front and back. The reverse of the mirror is decorated with an oval cartouche of rings enclosing another of flowers and leaves with a bird bringing a butterfly to its young in a nest" (Hand mirror).
Though it does not exactly match the rather vauge description in Wilde's text, Lord Henry's consistent connection to French design and objects could make a case for its inclusion in the archive. Moreover, the piece is made in part from "bois durci," a mixture of wood and blood-- an interesting, if not morbid, part of the piece. Dorian's mirror is not given a specified material
Creator
Oscar Wilde, Unknown maker
Source
Publisher
Penguin Books, Victoria and Albert Museum
Date
Wilde's text/ 1891
Penguin/2000
ca. 1860
Penguin/2000
ca. 1860
Contributor
Hannah Phillips
Rights
Penguin Books, Copyright: © Victoria and Albert Museum, London 2017.
Relation
[no text]
Format
Text and still image
Language
English
Type
Text and still image
Identifier
[no text]
Coverage
[no text]
Citation
Oscar Wilde, Unknown maker, “Oval Glass,” Objects and Interiority in Dorian Gray, accessed April 18, 2024, https://doriangrayarchiveeng578.omeka.net/items/show/3.