Marquetry Mirror Attributed To Noël Hache – 17th Century

A large and magnificent Louis XIII-style mirror with an inverted-profile frame, featuring marquetry in native woods (olive, walnut, sycamore, and bog oak) and dating to the 17th century.

The piece is adorned with superb marquetry decoration consisting of acanthus-leaf friezes, executed using the "hot sand-shading" technique, which creates nuanced, shadowed effects.

Geometric panels, bordered by light and dark wood stringing, are complemented by heart-shaped corner motifs that complete this rich ornamentation.

Also of note is the attractive frieze along the outer molding, which alternates between light wood and bog oak.

A central molding—crafted from ebonized wood and accented with light and dark wood stringing—frames the mercury-glass mirror, providing an elegant contrast to the vibrant, marquetry-decorated surround.

A similar mirror (documented on page 80 of the book *L’ébénisterie provinciale en France au XVIIIe siècle* by Bernard Deloche and Jean-Yves Mornand) allows us to attribute this piece to the workshop of Noël Hache. Dimensions

H. 83 cm x W. 73 cm

France

Attributed to Noël Hache

Walnut, sycamore, olive wood, bog oak

Original mercury-backed mirror

17th century

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 on July 29, 1667, he became "bayle" of the guild—a position equivalent to that of a master warden. Archival documents suggest that he may have been the only cabinetmaker in Toulouse around 1660—a title he himself appears to have claimed.

It was likely in Calais—a small northern town situated relatively close to the Netherlands, a region renowned for its expertise in floral marquetry—that he first learned the craft of cabinetmaking, an art form still in its infancy in France, which he would later introduce to the Languedoc region.