The Tsarina convex mirror is centered around the colors of malachite. The frame was gilded with gold metal leaf then covered in layers of Venetian glass rods in colors ranging from emerald to lime to turquoise. Surrounding the glass mirror are spheres of faux malachite. Real malachite spheres are attached to the ends of the frame’s rays. Each of these spheres are as large as a marble! This mirror is about 11 inches in diameter.
The Tsarina mirror will be shipped to one of my venues soon.
Jewelry for Walls!
The title Tsarina was bestowed on the absolutist female monarch of Russia. The Tsarina could be an independent ruler or as the consort of the male Tsar.
A portrait of Catherine I of Russia by Nattier, 1717
But my Tsarina mirror is all about malachite.
Possibly the earliest ore off copper, having been mined in the Sinai and eastern deserts of ancient Egypt from as early as 3000BC, malachite is a green copper carbonate hydroxide. It was used as an eye paint, a pigment for wall painting, and in glazes and the colouring of glass. Its name comes from the Greek for “mallow”, in reference to its leaf-green colour. It is a minor ore of copper, but its principal use is as an ornamental material and gemstone.
Associated with Venus, it is said that Malachite attracts love. Attached onto the cradle or worn as an amulet, it is believed to protect children.
Also called “the merchant stone”, Malachite is believed to attract money, therefore favorable to traders and businessmen.
According to Russian legend, one would learn the language of animals by drinking in a Malachite concoction.
A monumental urn in the Hermitage. It is covered in a thin veneer of Malachite found in Russia’s Ural mountains. 19th century.
A beautiful chunk of polished Malachite.
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