Rare French trumeau with gilded candle sconces mounted to the frame, Chateau de Villette: The Splendor of French Decor, published b Flammarion, photo by Bruno Ehrs Invented in France and made popular by the French aristocracy, trumeau mirrors were originally designed to hang on a wall between windows. Because mirrored glass was so expensive at the time, the royals and aristocrats who owned them took great pride and pleasure in showing them off. A common centerpiece of 18th century interiors, these long, rectangular wall mirrors set into paneling were intricately carved, often gilded but almost always painted, and topped with a carved motif or painting. They served not only as a decorative element, but were also very functional because of the reflective quality of the mirrored glass bringing much needed light to a room. By day the mirror would reflect sunlight throughout a room and at night it would reflect the candlelight. Candle sconces were hung on the wall on either side of the mirror tc increase light or placed in front of trumeaux designed to be hung above a mantel rather than between windows Some rare trumeaux were designed with gilded candle sconces attached to the frames. Before the use of trumeau mirrors, large panels of mirrored glass were built directly into the walls or boiserie between two windows to add light to a room.