H.G. Bradley Sculpted Teak Wall Mirror, Harare, c. 1970s
A Mirror Frame Treated as Sculpture
A tall wall mirror in solid teak, made by H.G. Bradley in Harare in the 1970s in the Danish Modern manner. It comes from a small collection bought directly from Bradley by its original owners, and it has remained with them ever since.
The frame is where all the interest lies. Each rail swells toward the corners and thins at its centre, so the glass sits within a softly cushioned outline. The inner edge is chamfered throughout, broadening into a faceted plane at each mitred corner. This is a frame worked as a form in its own right rather than cut from a moulding, and it rewards a closer look.
The approach is distinctly Danish, where a mirror frame was treated as a sculptural object rather than a border. Mirrors of this kind are among the most useful pieces of the period: they ask nothing of a room and improve most of them. At a metre tall, it suits a hallway, entrance, bedroom or dressing area, and it would sit naturally above a sideboard or console.
The frame has been gently refinished in our workshop, its sculpted profile crisp and intact.
Provenance & Maker — H.G. Bradley, Harare
Acquired from the original owners, Clive and Barbara King, who bought these pieces from H.G. Bradley in Harare (then Salisbury, Rhodesia) in the 1970s. They knew Mr Bradley well and admired his style and his dedication to perfection.Bradley's workshop produced high-quality interpretations of Danish Modern designs, deliberately unlabelled so as not to be mistaken for the Danish originals. They bear no maker's mark, and the attribution rests on the original owners' first-hand recollection rather than surviving documentation.
