Hand-Carved Teak Wood Florentine Wall Mirror | Pierced Gold Acanthus

The Story Behind This Mirror

Florentine frames are the honest test of a carver, because there is nowhere to hide. No cherub draws the eye, no cameo distracts from a lazy scroll - if a leaf is flat or a curl is mechanical, you see it immediately. So this frame begins with the best boards in the workshop: straight, tight-grained seasoned teak, chosen for how the grain will run through the deepest cuts.

The foliage is worked in layers. The carver establishes the ground first, then lifts one tier of acanthus away from it, then a second, then a third, so the leaves genuinely pass over and behind one another instead of being scratched onto a single plane. Once the layers are set, the waste between them is pierced right through - and that is the point of no return, because the frame is now mostly air and every remaining rib has to be strong enough to carry the glass. The crest shell and plume are cut last so they finish proud of everything below. Then the whole frame is hand-sanded through progressive grits, gold laid in coats, and rubbed back by hand across every raised leaf tip so light breaks unevenly on the surface the way it does on an old gilded frame. The plate is fitted at the end.

Factual specification for this hand-carved teak wood Florentine wall mirror:

• Material: Solid teak wood, hand-carved (no veneer, no engineered wood)
• Style: Italian Florentine giltwood, fully pierced openwork acanthus
• Finish: Gilded gold, hand-applied and hand-rubbed at the leaf tips; customisable to antique gold, distressed gold, silver or dark wood polish
• Frame detail: Layered acanthus foliage pierced through on all four sides, shell and plume flourish at the crest, scrolled foliate apron at the base, beaded inner border to the glass
• Glass: Plain rectangular mirror plate
• Orientation: Wall-mounted; can be made for portrait or landscape hanging
• Size: Custom sizes made to order - share your wall dimensions and we will quote
• Make: Made to order, handcrafted by master Indian artisans
• Photography: Actual product photos and video shared before dispatch
• Delivery: Pan-India, free shipping

Packaging and Transit Protection

On a fully pierced frame the leaf tips are the first thing to break and the hardest thing to repair, so they set the entire packing method. Every projecting tip and the crest flourish are wrapped individually in high-density foam and taped clear of the gilded surface so no adhesive touches gold. The openwork sections are then faced with foam sheet on both sides and blocked, so nothing can press into a gap and snap a rib in transit. The mirror plate is covered with a shatter-retention film and backed with a rigid board.

The wrapped frame is sleeved in a continuous foam blanket, corner-guarded at all four corners, and set into a fitted wooden crate with foam blocking on every face so it cannot move on a long road journey. The crate is marked for orientation and fragility, strapped and sealed. We photograph the piece wrapped and the crate closed and send those images before dispatch. On arrival, open the crate against the packing list and inspect the carving carefully before signing - anything damaged in transit is our responsibility to resolve.

Shipping and Delivery

Each piece is carved after you order. Typical lead time is 4 to 6 weeks from confirmation, moving to the longer end if you increase the size or ask for deeper, denser foliage - piercing is slow work and the depth you choose directly changes the hours at the bench. Your exact timeline is confirmed in writing at order, and we send progress photographs once the foliage is carved and again after the gold is finished, so you see the actual frame before it ships.

Delivery is free anywhere in India. We arrange and manage the transport, and our team coordinates unloading and placement at your address rather than leaving a crate at the gate. Please tell us in advance about stairs, lift dimensions or society service-entry restrictions so we can plan the route. We also advise on the right hanging hardware for your wall type - for an openwork frame, fixing choice matters more than frame weight. International orders are quoted case by case; send us the destination and we will price freight and documentation separately.

Craftsmanship Assurance and Care

Our craftsmanship assurance covers the solid teak frame and the hand-carving. If a joint opens or a carved element separates because of a fault in how the piece was made - rather than through impact, misuse, an unsuitable wall fixing or an attempted self-repair - we will repair or replace it. Glass breakage after delivery and water damage sit outside the assurance.

Care is simple, but a pierced frame needs a brush rather than a cloth. Work a clean dry soft brush through the openwork foliage; a cloth will catch on the leaf tips and can break the finest ones. Use a soft dry cloth only on the beaded border and the flat inner moulding. Never use water, chemical polish, alcohol or ammonia-based cleaners on the gilded surface, as gold rubbed back by hand cannot be spot-repaired invisibly once stripped. Spray glass cleaner onto the cloth rather than onto the mirror so nothing runs into the carving behind the plate. Keep the piece out of direct sunlight and away from heat and air-conditioner outflow, mount it on a solid wall with anchors rated well above its weight, and check the fixings once a year.