This is a rare and, according to specialists, quite spectacular example of the type of elaborately carved and gilded, framed mirror that would have been an object of luxury produced in the 18th century for the nobility of New Spain. While the actual mirror seen here is a modern addition, the frame itself is in excellent condition and retains much of its polychrome in the detailed three-dimensional heads that emerge from the intricate carved pattern surrounding the mirror. The curvilinear shapes of the stylized shells and leaves are signature motifs associated with the international Rococo style.

New Spain (or what we now call Mexico) was considered the jewel of the Spanish monarchy, as it enjoyed the natural resources that made it one of the wealthiest of all colonized regions in the Western world. Those of direct Spanish descent who lived there exhibited all of the trappings of the European elite, including luxury objects like this mirror. Similarly extravagant carved and gilded framed mirrors dated to the 18th century can be found in the collection of the Palacio de los Azulejos in Mexico City.