the Diane Convex Mirror

The Diane convex mirror is composed of a round frame I designed and had executed by a woodworking shop in San Miguel.  The frame is studded with clear jewels that I made from resin.  They have gilded findings.

The frame is 9.5 inches in diameter and is currently in my studio pending being sent to one of my showrooms.

The Diane convex mirror is a tribute to the great and notorious Diane de Poitiers( 1499-1566).  Very beautiful and very intelligent, Diane was a member of the minor French aristocracy.  She married well but was widowed at the age of 32.  Diane was compelled by the mourning customs of the court to wear black and white.  She found the colors to be very flattering to her pale complexion and golden hair so she made wearing black and white to be her signature dress.  She also adapted the symbols of Diana, goddess of the hunt, as her personal emblem.

Diane rapidly rose in the hierarchy of the French court due to her beauty, charm and cunning.  When she was almost 35 she bedded the 16 year old Henry II and held him entranced to the end of his life.

She had great power and influence which stretched to the bed of Henry’s wife Catherine de Medici.  After their marriage Catherine and Henry did not produce any children for 10 years.  Through Diane’s encouragement and guidance the couple eventually produced 10 children.

Diane de Poitiers was a great health enthusiast, unusual for the time.  She rode every day and ate sparingly.  She also bathed everyday!  Diane was also fascinated by cosmetics and potions to enhance her beauty and youthful looks.  When French authorities exhumed her body in 2009 they found astonishing amounts of gold in her hair and tissue.  Apparently one of the ingredients that Diane drank in her potions was powdered gold and may have caused her death.