I love going to the Mercure and Rialto cinemas in Nice - they have the most comfortable seats I know. On one trip last week Richard and I opted to see Argo. Yes, I know I should have been paying attention to plot - but instead I had my nose down in the detail of objects and set dressings. And at one point when I saw this interior set in the home of the Canadian Ambassador to Tehran, my heart skipped a beat. Had I seen what I thought I'd seen? Fortunately the camera did come back to the same angle again for another shot. Yes, indeed, my eyes weren't deceiving me - look at that mirror behind Ben Affleck (the man standing.) Its shape reminds me of nothing so much as the ornate outlines of embroidered Stuart mirrors of the 17th century. If this is a genuine antique Ottoman mirror - and the answer is as yet unknown - then were mirrors such as this imported and seen and perhaps owned by upper-class English families? And could their design have been the inspiration of those lovely embroidered mirrors?
What a coincidence, or rather what a detective you are..:)
ReplyDeleteMy what eagle eyes you have. So from your photo above it looks like it might be carved wood? It seems to have some texture to it. Is that right? The shape is so similar that it seems like it would be worth exploring further.
ReplyDeleteYes, if only it were straightforward to contact a set designer.....
ReplyDeleteIf anyone knows a way to contact Jan Pascale set designer at Paramount......
ReplyDeletehttp://www.imdb.com/name/nm0664308/
ReplyDeleteMight be worth a try?? You seem to have to subscribe to the site to get contact details but they offer a free 14 days subscription...would that work? Is that ethical?
Can you tell me where the Stuart mirror above is located? Do you know of any other similar mirrors in museum collections? Thanks so much!
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