The Diane de Poitiers convex mirror is my first black and white design. It consists of rough selenite spheres and smaller calcite and rock crystal spheres. The spikes are lacquered white. The inner rim of the mirror is embellished with Venetian glass.
The Diane de Poitiers mirror is about 20 inches in diameter. It is in my studio pending being shipped to one of my showrooms.
Jewelry for walls!
Diane de Poitiers(1499-1566): The Triumphant Beauty
At the age of 15 Diane married a man 39 years her senior. After his death she always wore black and white( hence the inspiration for my mirror) in his honor( of course, b&w flattered her coloring and made her stand out at court!). When Diane was 35 she entered into a passionate relationship with the 16 year old Dauphin, Henry. She was his official mistress( mistresse en titre) for the next 25 years.
While mistress to Henry II she was the most glamorous, beautiful, rich and powerful woman in France, far exceeding the dowdy Queen Catherine de Medici.
She identified with the goddess Diana, the Huntress. Her symbol was the moon crescent. You can still find her symbol and monogram combined with Henry’s all over the chateaux of the Loire valley.
Detail: When her remains were analyzed in 2009 there was found to be 500 times the normal levels of gold in her hair. It was concluded that Diane drank a beauty elixir of powdered gold contributing significantly to her death.
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