Mirror with Jael and Barak

The embroidered decoration of this mirror frame was derived from a printed source such as an illustrated Bible and features a composition similar to that of a decorative title page. The biblical characters Jael and Barak, flanking the mirror glass, appear in the book of Judges. The frame is surmounted by a figure of Charity; animals, mythic and actual, symbolizing the Four Continents, occupy the corners (from upper left): a griffin representing Africa, a basilisk representing America, a stag representing Europe, and a camel for Asia.