Wall mirror attributed to the famous Maison Franck of Antwerp, ca. 1920.

Wall mirror attributed to the famous MAISON FRANCK of Antwerp, ca. 1920.
Red and gold tortoiseshell decoration in neo-Renaissance style.
Original beveled mirror glass.
Measurements: 103 x 82 cm.

This large and rare wall mirror is attributed to Maison Franck, a prosperous Antwerp decorating firm engaged in furniture production, interior decoration and the antiques trade that found tortoiseshell its material of choice. Even then, Antwerp was known as the center for the production and export of tortoiseshell-veneered cabinets, but the Franck family knew how to bring this peculiar material completely into its own territory. The radical success was due to the fact that Franck's tortoiseshell Art Deco furniture tended to be quite different from the pieces that were produced in the international Art Deco style. This was because Frank (son of the founding couple) often traveled to Paris and owned "Ruhlmann's Sketches", a book of sketches by the famous Parisian furniture and interior designer Jacques-Émile Ruhlmann (1879-1933), which he adapted in his own way to create his own style.

Initially founded by the Frank couple, at the beginning of the 20th century their children took over the Maison Franck and became important cultural promoters of the Antwerp art scene. They wanted to attract new artistic movements to the city and founded "De Kapel", which soon became the new artistic association Kunst van Heden - Art Contemporain. They also promoted important artists such as Constant Permeke (1886-1952), James Ensor (1860-1949) or Oscar Jespers (1887-1970).