Sean Phelan Mirror Gilding

Environmental portraits

This is Sean, a mirror gilder based in a small workshop in Oxfordshire. He invited us in to take a series of images to showcase the quality of his craftsmanship and the truly amazing mirrors that he produces for clients all around the world.

The shoot did come with some challenges, the biggest being that he specialises in convex mirrors, making them near impossible to hide from. All the lighting and angles had to be carefully worked out to ensure we could get the shots Sean needed without having the camera or lighting equipment in the reflections.

Sean has a passion for life and beauty and this shines through in his work. In 1996, based in London, Sean became a gilders apprentice, studying the fine craftsmanship of mirror gilding. Just two years later Sean set up a studio on Lillie road, London, dedicated to 17th-20th Century mirror restoration. Today Sean’s studio is based in the Cotswolds in Churchill, near Chipping Norton where he continues to restore, create and bring to life antique mirror frames. It was a dream location for us to shoot these kind of environmental portraits.

He offers truly bespoke mirror gilding services including antique mirror restoration, sourcing mirrors, unique gilding creations, and collaborations with designers, artists, architects and home owners.

You can find his work at mirrorgilding.com