Hepplewhite Mirror 1935 - 1942

This Hepplewhite Mirror was carefully drafted by Nicholas Gorid, likely on paper, with pencil, maybe watercolor, or gouache. The colors feel quite muted, like they've aged, and that's a beautiful thing, you know? There's something so lovely about the flatness of this image. It feels more like a diagram or a technical drawing than a painting. See how the surface around the frame is this creamy color, almost like untreated canvas? And the frame itself, so detailed, so precise. It's like Gorid is showing us not just the mirror, but how it's put together, piece by piece. There are these cute little flowers above it, like an afterthought, or maybe a detail that was meant to be scaled up in the real thing? It reminds me of some of the decorative work of someone like Phillip Taaffe, who is equally obsessed with pattern and historical reference. But, of course, Gorid's mirror is its own thing, a quiet meditation on design and history. I find it utterly charming.